Archived: Penkett Lodge

Updated 6 October 2020

Background

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

The inspection visit was carried out by one inspector and an assistant inspector.

Penkett Lodge is a care home. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection. The service had a manager registered with CQC. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

We announced the inspection visit when we arrived at the car park due to arrangements needed for the service to allow people into the building due to COVID-19 guidance.

Inspection activity started on 17 September 2020 and ended on 22 September 2020. We visited the service on 17 September 2020.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed the information we received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with three people who used the service about their experiences of the care provided. We also spoke with the manager, the deputy, three staff including care workers and ancillary staff. We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us.

As part of this inspection we looked at the infection control and prevention measures in place. This was conducted so we can understand the preparedness of the service in preventing or managing infections.

We reviewed a range of records. Records included two people’s care records and several medication administration records, two staff personnel files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. As well as a variety of records relating to the management and governance of the service, including policies and procedures.

After the inspection visit

Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic we limited the time we spent on site, and were unable to speak with family members, due to visiting restrictions. Therefore, we requested records and documentation to be sent to us and reviewed these following the inspection visit. We contacted three family members by telephone about their experiences of the care provided. We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found.

Updated 6 October 2020

About the service

Penkett Lodge is a care home that provides accommodation for up to 27 people who need help with their personal care. At the time of the inspection 14 people lived in the home. Some people living in the home, lived with dementia.

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

People told us they felt safe and were treated well. People and relatives were very positive about the staff and manager. They told us they were happy with the care provided.

Risks to people were assessed and their safety was monitored. Improvements made to the environment offered safer living facilities that had been improved and maintained especially within the gardens and grounds of the service.

People’s safety was monitored and records showed ongoing support to keep people safe and comfortable. People were safeguarded from the risk of abuse. Staff were knowledgeable about the different types of abuse and followed guidance in line with the providers and the local authority safeguarding procedures.

Staff followed safe infection, prevention and control (IPC) practices. They had continual access to the required personal protective equipment (PPE) used to prevent infections and keep people safe.

Safe recruitment processes were followed to assess the suitability of staff to work at the service. Staff had received regular training to ensure they were able to meet the needs of the people they supported.

Medicines were safely managed by staff; they received up to date training and had the relevant skills to support people with their medicines.

The providers systems and processes for monitoring and improving the service had shown a lot of work and investment to improve records, management of health and safety, recruitment, training and supporting staff and improving the environment. Further development was needed to continue the refurbishment and decoration of the home, continue the development of all care records and training records for staff.

Within the context of the Covid-19 infection risk, 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 and update

The last rating for this service was inadequate published December 2019 and there were multiple 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. This service has been in special measures since November 2019. The service is no longer rated as inadequate overall or in any of the key questions. Therefore, this service is no longer in special measures. The evidence that inspectors could review was limited as many of the improvements were recently made and improvements needed to be embedded and sustained over a longer period of time to achieve a rating of good.

Why we inspected

A decision was made for us to inspect, examine and follow up what improvements had been made since the last inspection in November 2019. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we undertook a focused inspection to only review the key questions of Safe and Well-led. 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 coronavirus and other infection outbreaks effectively.

Our report is only based on the findings in those areas reviewed at this inspection. The ratings from the previous comprehensive inspection for the Effective, Caring and Responsive key questions were not looked at on this occasion. Ratings from the previous comprehensive inspection for those key questions were used in calculating the overall rating at this inspection.

The overall rating for the service has changed from inadequate to requires improvement. This is based on the findings at this inspection.

Follow up

We will work with the 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.