Lenthall House

Updated 17 August 2022

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.

This was a focussed inspection to check whether the provider had met the requirements of the Warning Notice in relation to Regulation 12 ( Safe care and treatment) and Regulation 17 (Good governance) of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. We issued the Warning Notice on concerns we found around staffing, unsafe administration of people's medicines and ineffective oversight and monitoring of the service.

Inspection team

This inspection was carried out by one inspector 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

Lenthall House 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. Lenthall House is a care home without nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Registered manager

This service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. 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.

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 had received about the service. 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 used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with seven people who used the service and two relatives to gain their feedback about the care and support provided. We spoke to six staff members including the registered manager, two representatives for the provider and three care staff. We also spoke with one visiting health professional.

We reviewed care plans and records for three people and sampled medicines records. We reviewed training records for staff and sampled three staff recruitment files. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed

Updated 17 August 2022

Lenthall House is a residential care home providing accommodation and personal care for to up to 40 people. The service provides support to meet a range of people's needs including older people, people who are living with dementia and physical disabilities. Accommodation is provided across two floors in an adapted building. At the time of our inspection there were 28 people using the service.

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

People were protected from the risk of harm as care records provided detailed guidance and the measures staff needed to take. Staff demonstrated they knew how to keep people safe and raise any concerns. People were protected from abuse, systems and processes were in place to identify and report any abuse or harm.

Significant improvements had been made to ensure medicines were stored and managed safely and people received their medicines as prescribed. People were supported by enough staff to meet their needs. The care and support was person centred and people did not have to wait for assistance or feel rushed.

People were protected from infection. Staff wore appropriate personal protective equipment and the home appeared clean and odour free.

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.

There was effective oversight and leadership of the service. People, relatives and staff were unanimous in their praise of the registered manager and the improvements they had made to the service. The registered manager monitored the service to ensure the care provided achieved the best possible outcomes for people.

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 inadequate (published 01 February 2022).

The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve. At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.

This service has been in Special Measures since 31 January 2022. During this inspection the provider demonstrated that improvements have been made. The service is no longer rated as inadequate overall or in any of the key questions. Therefore, this service is no longer in Special Measures.

Why we inspected

We undertook this focussed inspection to check whether the Warning Notice we previously served in relation to Regulation 12 and 17 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 had been met.

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.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.