We carried out a review of the data available to us about The Lawns Residential Care Home on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about The Lawns Residential Care Home, you can give feedback on this service.
The Lawns Residential Care Home is a residential care home providing accommodation and personal care for up to 41 people aged 65 and over. At the time of our inspection there were 23 people using the service.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
Overall people’s individual risks were managed effectively, and they received safe care. Feedback from people and their relatives confirmed this.
Whilst the service was using a high number of agency staff they were all suitably trained and experienced enough to meet people’s care and support needs. The provider had a recruitment drive underway to reduce the requirement for the deployment of regular agency staff. All staff were recruited safely.
The provider accepted our concerns over the number of managerial changes at the service leading up to the inspection but were confident in the current structure now in place. They had communicated these changes to people and relatives including the CQC.
Quality control systems were effective in identifying issues within the service. Where an issue was identified during audits, the provider developed effective action plans to improve care and drive continuous learning.
The provider learnt lessons when things went wrong, and they encouraged continuous improvements.
Medicines were managed safely. Medicines administration record (MAR) charts were accurately completed, medicines were safely administered and when people received their medicines ‘as and when required’ the correct protocols were in place.
People and their relatives were involved in developing and reviewing their care plans and risk assessments. Care records were person-centred and contained information about people’s preferences, specific routines, their life history and interests.
Staff were caring and kind to people. Relatives spoke highly of the good work the staff team had done to ensure their family members remained well cared for and safe. 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 was requires improvement (published 25 June 2019)
Why we inspected
We undertook a targeted infection prevention and control inspection in line with our current regulatory approach.
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 the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively. This included checking the provider was meeting COVID-19 vaccination requirements.
We inspected and found a concern with the management of people’s skin care, so we widened the scope of the inspection to become a focused inspection. We found no evidence during this inspection people were at risk of harm from this concern. Please see the safe, effective and well-led sections of this full report.
For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating.
The overall rating for the service has changed from requires improvement to good based on the findings of this inspection.
You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for The Lawns residential Care Home 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.
People’s experience of using this service:
Response times for people’s requests for support took longer than they should. People told us this affected their daily lives.
People knew how to raise concerns, but these were not always satisfactorily resolved. We have made a recommendation about this.
Staff knew people and their needs well. People and their relatives felt cared for and were treated with kindness and compassion. People had confidence in the staff’s abilities and their training supported them in delivering care.
People’s needs, and wishes were assessed and planned for. Care plans were person centred taking account of how people’s needs and wishes could be met. Staff provided care and support with positive outcomes for people.
People were offered a diet that met their nutritional needs. People’s healthcare needs were monitored and access to appropriate professionals made when required.
People were protected from abuse and staff understood their responsibilities in relation to this. People and relatives told us it was a safe place to live. People described the management and staff as caring and supportive.
Risks to people were identified and systems in place minimised the potential of this occurring. The home had good infection control measures that minimised the risk of infection. The equipment and environment in the home was monitored well. The home was maintained to a high standard and people had access to meaningful activities.
Rating at last inspection: The service was rated as good on 08 September 2016.
Why we inspected: This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
Follow up: We will continue to monitor this service in line with our inspection programme for those services rated as requires improvement.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
The service provided accommodation and personal care to 41 older people. At the time of our inspection there were 38 people using the service, some of who had a diagnosis of early dementia. The registered manager told us that people from the local community or a neighbouring residential service chose to spend short periods of respite at the service.
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 were protected from avoidable harm because staff had the training and skills to respond to any concerns they had about people’s safety and welfare. The provider had effective systems in place to assess and manage these risks associated with people’s care. The registered manager assessed people’s needs and used this to deploy sufficient numbers of staff to meet people’s needs. Staff managed people’s medicines safely and administered them in accordance with people’s prescriptions.
The premises and environment were well maintained, spacious and kept in a safe condition. There were plans in place to support each person in the event of an emergency.
Staff had access to a range of training which equipped them with the relevant skills they required to meet people’s needs. The provider completed relevant checks which ensured that staff had the right skills, experience and knew how to support people safely.
People were supported in accordance with the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005. Staff sought their consent to their care and treatment. People were supported promptly with their health needs.
People’s nutritional needs were met. They had access to a variety of healthy meals that they told us they enjoyed. The provider ensured people were prompted to have enough to drink to minimise the risk of dehydration and associated conditions.
Staff were kind and compassionate to people. They were knowledgeable about the needs of the people they supported and treated them with dignity and respect. They provided the support that people needed to be involved in decisions about their care.
Care was centred on people’s individual needs. Their care plans reflected the support that they received. Staff provided people with opportunities to access a variety of social activities and support to follow their faith.
People had opportunities to give their feedback on the service they received. The provider listened to feedback from people using the service and their relatives and acted on them.
The provider had effective procedures for monitoring and assessing the service in a way that promoted continuous improvement. People and their relatives were satisfied with the service they received. Staff felt supported in their role which enabled them to deliver a good standard of care.
We saw staff were not rushed and worked at people who use services pace and routine. For example we saw some people had a breakfast tray taken to their bedrooms and other people got up for breakfast in the dining area. Some people come into their communal areas and others stayed in their bedrooms. People who used services benefited from sufficient staff to meet their needs. We saw people in the lounge listening to vintage music and singing along. We saw one person go to the local shops to buy items assisted by the activity coordinator. The activity coordinator had arranged to play dominoes with people using the service in the afternoon and provided a range of daily activities to meet people's wishes and preferences.
Some people were seen reading newspapers, interacting with the visiting dog (pets as therapy scheme) and having their nails manicured. The activity coordinator was seen organising a crossword quiz for the afternoon. We saw people having their hair done by the visiting hairdresser. People told us, 'I have a leisurely breakfast in my room every day.' Another person said, 'You'd be hard done by, to find any better.'