Laurel Bank

Updated 12 January 2024

The inspection

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

This inspection was carried out by 1 inspector.

Service and service type

Laurel Bank is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations. At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we held about the service. We sought feedback from the local authority commissioning team. The provider was not asked to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR) prior to this inspection. A PIR is information providers send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke about Laurel Bank with 6 people, a relative, a visiting professional, 7 staff and 2 members of the management team. We walked around the building to carry out a visual check. We did this to ensure Laurel Bank was clean, hygienic and a safe place for people to live. We looked at records related to the management of the service. We checked care and medication records, staffing and recruitment files and quality and leadership oversight systems.

Updated 12 January 2024

About the service

Laurel Bank is a care home providing nursing and personal care for up to 67 people. At the time of our inspection there were 61 people using the service.

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

The registered manager and staff worked closely and transparently with partner agencies to ensure people were protected from harm or abuse. They reviewed their processes to check they continuously maintained people’s safety, including risks linked to, for instance, choking and malnutrition. The registered manager ensured staffing levels were sufficient to support people in a timely way. One person stated, “I feel safe here because there is always a staff member close by.”

Staff files contained sufficient evidence to demonstrate appropriate staff were recruited, inducted and trained to support vulnerable people safely. Staff followed the person’s medication care plan, risk assessment and preferences, such as when they chose to self-administer. One person said, “I was glad they agreed [for me to self-administer]. I know they’re taking a risk, but they trust me and it means I can keep my independence.”

The registered manager had created clear lines of communication for staff to understand their responsibilities in retaining people’s safety and wellbeing. They sought feedback from staff, external professionals, people and their relatives about care delivery and service development. A visiting professional told us, “I’m here all the time and, without exception, I see how caring the staff are. I can confidently say they love the residents in the way they interact with them.”

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 the service under the previous provider was good, published on 07 March 2020.

Why we inspected

The inspection was prompted in part due to concerns received about nutritional risk management and staff training. A decision was made for us to inspect and examine those risks.

The provider has taken effective action to mitigate the risks. We found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm from this concern. Please see the safe and well-led sections of this full report.

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.