Crofton Lodge

Ratings

• Overall

  Requires improvement

• Safe

  Requires improvement

• Effective

  Requires improvement

• Caring

  Good

• Responsive

  Good

• Well-led

  Requires improvement

Our view of the service

We carried out this assessment 4 March 2025 to 18 March 2025. The service is a residential care home service providing support to people with a learning disability and autistic people. There were 5 people living in the home at the time of our inspection. We inspected this service due to receiving information of concern relating to people’s care. We inspected all the quality statements.

We found 3 breaches of the legal regulations in relation to safe care and treatment, need to consent, and governance. There were concerns relating to fire safety. Some bedrooms were not secure due to windows being able to be opened from the outside of the home. The level of cleanliness in the home did not meet the required standards. Food was not always stored safely, meaning people were at risk of eating unsafe food. People’s mental capacity had not been correctly assessed. Governance systems and audits were not effective in addressing areas for improvement.

People were supported to have choice and control and could give feedback on their care. There were enough staff with the right skills, qualifications, and experience. Staff were trained to raise and respond to safeguarding concerns. Medicines were stored, documented, and administered safely. People’s needs were assessed and reviewed. Staff ensured people’s care and support met individual needs and preferences. There was a system in place for responding to concerns or complaints. Recruitment practices were safe.

We assessed the service against ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ guidance to make judgements about whether the provider guaranteed people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices, independence, and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. We found people received care and support in accordance with the principles of this guidance.

People's experience of this service

We spoke to some people and used observation to assess whether people received good care. Several people told us, they liked living in the home and they liked the staff. We found people could benefit from being involved in more meaningful activities with staff both in-house and externally. However, the provider was already aware of this and shared with us what they had put in place to improve this situation, which included weekly meetings with people to discuss what activities they would like to undertake. During the assessment, we received mixed feedback from relatives. Some relatives told us they did not know the new provider and would benefit from some improved communication .