Latham Lodge Nursing and Residential Care Home

Updated 19 November 2019

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

The inspection team consisted of one inspector, a specialist advisor with clinical experience and expertise in nursing and an Expert by Experience on the first day. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service. On the second day the inspection team consisted of one inspector.

Service and service type

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

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. 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

This inspection was unannounced on day one.

What we did before the inspection

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 reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. This information helps support our inspections. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection-

Some people at Latham Lodge were not able to fully share with us their experiences of using the service. Therefore, we spent time observing interactions between people and the staff supporting them in in communal areas.

We spoke with eight people who used the service and four relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with 15 members of staff including a representative for the provider, the registered manager, team leaders, carers, nurses, activities coordinator and the chef.

We reviewed a range of records. This included 13 people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at four staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

After the inspection –

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at training data and quality assurance records.

Updated 19 November 2019

About the service

Latham Lodge is a residential care home providing personal and nursing care to 40 people, specialising in end of life care and people with long term health conditions. At the time of the inspection 36 people were being supported.

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

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.

The provider supported staff in providing effective care for people through person-centred care planning, training and supervision. They ensured the provision of best practice guidance and that supported staff to meet people’s individual needs.

Risks to people were recorded in their care plans and staff demonstrated they had a good knowledge of people.

The home had a consistent staff team who understood the needs of people well. We saw staff upheld and promoted people's rights relating to equality and diversity.

We saw evidence of people’s and relative’s involvement in care assessments. However, people did not always feel involved in the assessments and reviews.

People were encouraged to maintain a healthy, balanced diet, based on their individual needs and had access to food and drink whenever they wanted.

People and their relatives were positive about the quality of care and support people received.

Staff respected people's privacy and dignity.

Staff identified what was important to people and endeavoured to provide meaningful experiences and lasting happy memories.

Latham Lodge offered bespoke care and support for people at end stage of life (EOL) and to their families.

Relatives and staff told us they thought the home was well led and spoke positively about the registered manager. The provider and registered manager carried out numerous audits to ensure the service was effective.

The manager was proactive in ensuring they had a visible presence within the home and operated an open door policy ensuring that any low-level concerns were dealt with promptly preventing escalation.

The service was well-led by a management team whose passion and drive to deliver a good service, leading by example, was evident.

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 (7 December 2016).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

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.