Lychgate House

Lychgate House is a residential care home providing personal care to up to 15 people. The service provides support to people who have mental health needs. At the time of our inspection there were 15 people using the service.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

People were not always safeguarded from harm as systems were not in place to protect them. The provider did not have robust processes in place for the oversight of the service to identify concerns and make improvements. Some areas of the environment were unhygienic, or poorly maintained, and in need of renovation to make it safe and comfortable for people living in the service. Infection control measures were not always adequate and placed people at risk.

Care plans were regularly reviewed and contained information on how to support people, however, these were task focused, and language used throughout was negative.

We have made a recommendation the provider seeks guidance on person-centred care planning.

Staff were recruited safely, had received appropriate training and an induction to the service. There were enough staff to meet people’s needs. Medicines were well managed, and safely administered by trained staff. Staff treated people with kindness and compassion and encouraged people’s independence while maintaining their dignity.

People told us they enjoyed living at Lychgate House. People were supported to maintain relationships with their relatives and loved ones. Relatives and loved ones told us the staff team keep them regularly updated on changes with peoples health and support needs. People were able to maintain access to the community should they wish, such as going to the pub, or out with family.

The service supported people to access healthcare services, and to receive ongoing healthcare support if required, including external professionals like GPs and pharmacists. People enjoyed a varied menu and were encouraged to help themselves with access to drinks and snacks between meals.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service under a previous provider was good (published 17 May 2019).

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.

Enforcement

We have identified breaches in relation to good governance, safeguarding of service users, and infection prevention and control at this inspection.

Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.

Full information about CQC’s regulatory response to the more serious concerns found during inspections is added to reports after any representations and appeals have been concluded.

Follow up

We will request an action plan from the provider to understand what they will do to improve the standards of quality and safety. We will work alongside the provider and local authority to monitor progress. We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.