Virginia Lodge Care Home

Virginia Lodge is a residential care home providing personal care to up to 32 people. The service provides support to older people including those who may be living with a dementia and/or a physical disability. At the time of our inspection there were 19 people using the service.

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

People felt safe with kind and caring staff. Risks associated with people using the service or other elements of the home including safety, were assessed and monitored. Accidents and incidents were recorded and reported appropriately.

Medicines were managed safely. The service manager updated some records during the inspection and arranged support from the controlled drugs liaison officer to enhance practice.

Staff provided food and refreshments which people enjoyed and met their individual needs.

Infection control procedures were safe, and the home was kept clean and tidy.

There was enough staff to support people safely, although it was acknowledged it was busy at times. An ongoing safe recruitment process was in place to fill vacant posts. Staff were supported and received a range of training to support them in their roles. We have made a recommendation regarding staff appraisals.

A range of quality assurance checks were in place to monitor the service delivered to people.

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

Rating at last inspection and update

The last rating for this service was requires improvement (published 4 November 2021) and there were breaches of regulation. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve.

At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.

Why we inspected

We carried out an unannounced comprehensive inspection of this service on 23 August 2021. Breaches of legal requirements were found. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve, safe care and treatment, consent and quality assurance.

We undertook this focused inspection to check they had followed their action plan and to confirm they now met legal requirements. This report only covers our findings in relation to the Key Questions Safe, Effective and Well-Led which contain those requirements.

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.

For the key question of Caring and Responsive which were not inspected, we used the rating awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating. The overall rating for the service has changed to good. This is based on the findings at this inspection.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Virginia Lodge on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.

Virginia Lodge is a residential care home providing personal care for 18 people aged 65 and over at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to 32 people.

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

People were not supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff did not support them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests. The policies in the service supported good practice in relation to assessing people’s mental capacity.

Audits did not always identify the deficits in the service. The registered manager had not always followed national guidance in relation to COVID-19.

The storage and disposal of people’s medicines were not always safe. Staff understood people’s personal risks. Fire safety arrangements for the building were up to date.

The registered manager had experienced difficulties in recruiting staff due to the location of the care home and the effects of the pandemic. There were sufficient staff on duty to meet people’s needs.

Staff and the registered manager genuinely cared about people and displayed kindness towards them. They supported people to be independent and protected their dignity and privacy.

Care plans were person-centred with details about people’s likes and dislikes. Although the service at the time of the inspection did not have an activities coordinator working in the home, staff tried to provide relevant activities. People’s end of life wishes were documented. Communication care plans assisted staff understand the best way to engage people.

The registered manager had a two-year plan to make improvements to the service. The action plans were available to visitors. The plans had to be delayed due to the pandemic.

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

Rating at last inspection

This service was registered with us on 18/11/2019 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection to provide a rating for the 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 are mindful of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our regulatory function. This meant we took account of the exceptional circumstances arising as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic when considering what enforcement action was necessary and proportionate to keep people safe as a result of this inspection. We will continue to discharge our regulatory enforcement functions required to keep people safe and to hold providers to account where it is necessary for us to do so.

We have identified breaches in relation to safe care and treatment, consent and good governance. During the inspection the registered manager began to make improvements.

For requirement actions of enforcement which we are able to publish at the time of the report being published. Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.

Follow up

We will request an action plan for 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 return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.