Lilliput House

Lilliput House is a residential care home providing accommodation and personal care for up to 54 older people. At the time of the inspection the home was supporting 24 people. The home was on three levels with access via stairs and a lift.

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

People, their relatives and staff were happy and confident in the management of Lilliput House. People’s risks had been identified and plans were robust to either reduce or remove the risks for them in their daily life. Plans were personalised and reviewed regularly. Staff understood safe ways of working in order to keep people safe.

Staff had the necessary skills and training which enabled them to carry out their role effectively. They told us that training was good and varied and they had more than enough to support them. Staff training and practices were regularly observed by senior staff and guidance given when this did not meet the required standard. Infection control was managed well within the home. There were plentiful supplies of personal protective equipment (PPE) and we observed staff compliance with this.

The management team at Lilliput House were established, were considered effective and staff had confidence in them. The registered manager was supported by a deputy manager and care co-ordinator who all had their own specific roles within the home. Feedback we received about the management team confirmed they were open and transparent.

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 was good (published 29 November 2019).

Why we inspected

We undertook this targeted inspection to check on a specific concern we had about staff skills, training and risk management within the home. The overall rating for the service has not changed following this targeted inspection and remains good.

CQC have introduced targeted inspections to check specific concerns. They do not look at an entire key question, only the part of the key question we are specifically concerned about. Targeted inspections do not change the rating from the previous inspection. This is because they do not assess all areas of a key question.

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.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.

Lilliput House is a residential care home providing accommodation and personal care for up to 54 people aged 65 and over. At the time of the inspection the home was supporting 42 people. It does not provide nursing care. The home is on three levels with access via stairs and a lift. There is a secure, level access outside space.

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

People were happy living at Lilliput House. One person said, “It’s heaven.” People felt safe and well cared for. Staff understood the risks people faced in their day to day lives and were skilled in working with them to minimise those risks.

People’s desired outcomes were known, and staff worked with people, relatives and relevant professionals to help achieve and review these with their consent. Staff had received the necessary induction, ongoing competency checks and training to help them meet people’s individual needs. People were encouraged and supported to retain their independence, maintain or develop new interests and live their lives as they chose. People enjoyed the varied activity programme.

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. People’s specific communication needs were known, respected and met.

People were encouraged and supported to maintain contact with those important to them including family, friends and other people living at the home. Relatives were welcomed and felt listened to and involved. Staff and people were observed enjoying meaningful and respectful interactions. Staff knew people well including their preferences, abilities and achievements.

The manager had recently joined the home and was actively promoting a supportive, open and transparent culture. Management and staff understood their roles and responsibilities. Staff enjoyed working at the home and were supported to professionally develop. Annual surveys gave people, relatives, staff and visiting professionals an opportunity to express their views and contribute to improvements. Management felt supported and empowered by the two directors who regularly visited the home.

Quality and safety checks by the manager and senior staff helped ensure people were safe and protected from harm. This also ensured that practice standards were maintained and improved. Audits helped identify areas for improvement with learning from these shared with staff.

Why we inspected

The inspection was prompted in part due to concerns received about staffing levels, staff attitudes, poor moving and handling practice, continence care and timeliness of response to people’s needs. A decision was made for us to inspect and examine those risks. We found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm from this concern.

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was good (published 24 January 2018).

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.

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

This unannounced comprehensive inspection took place on 27 and 30 November and 1 December 2017. This was the service’s first inspection since a change in the provider’s legal entity. There were no changes to the directors of the provider and registered manager when the legal entity changed.

Lilliput house is in Lilliput, Poole and can accommodate up to 54 older people. The home does not provide nursing care. Lilliput House provides care and support to older people, and only admits and cares for people who have the mental capacity to consent to living at Lilliput House and the care provided.

There is a registered manager in post who has worked at the home for 13 years. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.’

People felt they were safe and there were systems in place to safeguard people. Some improvements were needed to the record keeping for people to demonstrate the care provided. The registered manager took immediate action to amend the recording formats in use.

People told us they were happy living at Lilliput House and felt they were very well cared for. Relatives spoke positively about the way care and support was given. People and relatives told us staff were very caring and compassionate. Staff spoke to people in ways which showed they valued and cared about them.

Risks to people and the service were managed and planned for. People’s medicines were stored safely and administered as prescribed.

There were enough staff who were recruited safely to meet people’s needs and regular agency staff were used. Staff were well trained and had the opportunity for development. Staff told us they were supported by managers at the home and felt valued.

People’s needs were assessed and planned for. People had good access to healthcare and staff referred people appropriately to health care professionals.

The manager was aware of their responsibilities in regard to the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). These safeguards aim to protect people living in care homes and hospitals from being inappropriately deprived of their liberty. These safeguards can only be used when there is no other way of supporting a person safely. People living at the home were not subject to DoLS because they all were able to consent to living at the home and were free to leave whenever they wanted.

People told us they knew how to make a complaint and said staff listened to them and took action if they needed to raise concerns or queries. No formal complaints had been made in the last 12 months.

People, relatives and staff told us they felt the service was well led, with a clear management structure in place. There were governance systems in place to assess and improve the quality and safety of the service.