Earls Lodge Care Home

Updated 1 June 2023

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 Health and Social Care Act 2008.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by 2 inspectors and an Expert by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

Earl’s Lodge Care Home is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing and/or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement dependent on their registration with us. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided and both were looked at during this inspection.

Registered Manager

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 were 2 registered managers in post. One of the registered managers was also the nominated individual. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make.

We sought feedback from the local authority and local Healthwatch who work with the service. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

During inspection we spoke with 7 members of staff. This included staff from the care and house-keeping teams, both registered managers, one of whom was the nominated individual, and the director who was responsible for staff recruitment and support. We spent time observing people's care and interaction with staff in the lounges and dining areas to help us understand the experience of people living at the home. We talked to 11 people who used the service and 4 family members about their experience of care and support in the home.

We saw care records, risk assessments and care plans for 2 people and a range of medication records. We looked at personnel and recruitment records for 4 members of staff and a range of records in relation to the management of the service.

We talked to 3 health and social care professionals including the local GP and social workers who visited the home on the day of inspection.

Updated 1 June 2023

About the service

Earl’s Lodge Care Home is a residential care home providing personal care and support to up to 52 people. The service provides support to older people some of whom are living with dementia. The home is registered to provide residential and nursing care. However, the provider has taken the decision not to admit people with nursing care needs. At the time of our inspection there were 48 people living in the home.

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

People told us they were happy and safe living in the home. People received person-centred care from staff who know them and know their needs. People told us they feel that Earl's Lodge is their home.

There were systems and processes place to safeguard people from the risk of abuse. Staff had received appropriate training and knew how to report any concerns. Infection prevention and control (IPC) policies and process were in place and PPE was available throughout the home. Staff told us they had received the appropriate training.

Accidents and incidents were recorded and monitored to ensure trends and patterns were identified. Action was taken to reduce future risks occurring. The registered manager kept a record of lessons learned.

Staff were kind and caring and people told us that there were enough staff on duty to meet their needs. 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.

Visiting professionals from health and social care services talked positively about partnership working and support and care for people in the home. There was a culture of support for staff that empowered them to carry out their roles to the best of their ability. The provider was engaged in a range of community-based programmes to improve leadership in the social care sector.

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 good (27 September 2022). At our last inspection we made a recommendation about medicines and a recommendation about people's care records. The provider responded to swiftly address these issues at time of inspection.

Why we inspected

The inspection was prompted in part due to concerns received about the number of safeguarding enquiries that we received. A decision was made for us to undertake a focussed inspection to review the key questions of safe and well-led only. 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.

We reviewed the information we held about the service. No areas of concern were identified in the other key questions therefore we did not inspect them.

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 COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.

The overall rating for the service has not changed. This is based on the findings at this inspection.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the 'all reports' link for Earl’s Lodge 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.