Whitestone Lodge

Updated 1 April 2025

Date of Assessment: 23 April – 1 May 2025. Whitestone Lodge is a care home without nursing and provides accommodation and personal care for up to 20 older people. At the time of the assessment 13 people were living at the home.

The assessment took place to check the provider had made the required improvements following the last inspection. We carried out a site visit to the home on 23 April 2025, with the remainder of the assessment being conducted offsite. We assessed all 34 quality statements from the 5 key questions, safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led.

During this assessment the provider was in breach of regulations in relation to good governance. The overall rating is requires improvement.

We found improvements since the last inspection, however, there remained a lack of overarching governance and oversight of the service. The provider and registered manager lacked some understanding about regulatory requirements and risk management. CQC were not always notified of allegations of abuse, and events such as accidents and incidents were not analysed to look for patterns and trends and learning opportunities to reduce further occurrences. Environmental risks were not always identified and mitigated and there was a lack of guidance for staff on how to manage some people’s individual risks. Formal staff supervisions and appraisals were not consistent to enable staff to discuss any training needs, their performance and areas for development.

There was a lack of opportunities for people to engage in meaningful and stimulating activities both in and outside of the home. However, people were supported to maintain relationships with family and friends and visitors to the home were made to feel welcome.

People were provided with information about the home; however, some information was inaccurate including details about the service type. Feedback from people and others about the service had not always been obtained.

Staff were caring and compassionate and respected people’s privacy and dignity. People were given a choice of food and drink and received the support they needed to maintain a healthy diet and lifestyle. Staff worked with other agencies to make sure people received consistent care and support to meet their needs. Staff obtained peoples consent before providing care and support and decisions made on behalf of people who lacked capacity were made following best interest decision-making processes.

We have asked the provider for an action plan in response to the concerns found at this assessment.

This service has been in Special Measures since 27 September 2023. The provider demonstrated improvements that 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.

Updated 1 April 2025

People told us they felt safe and were treated well. Their comments included, “Yes, I feel safe and well looked after here” and “They [staff] keep me safe; they are very good.” Family members were confident their relative was kept safe at the home. People told us they enjoyed the food and got plenty to eat, 1 person told us, “Lovely homemade meals, never ate so well” and another person told us, “You’d never go hungry here, the grub is smashing.” People told us staff were kind, caring and respectful towards them. Their comments included, “Oh yes they [staff] are all caring and always speak to me nicely” and “Yes, they knock on my door before coming in.” Family members told us their relative received the right care and support from staff and other external services. A family member told us, “They [staff] seem very good at knowing when [relative] needs to see their GP and they act quickly” and “They [staff] helps [relative] with appointments.”Throughout our visit we observed most people sat in the lounge watching television and with no other activities offered, one person told us, “I sit here [lounge] most of the time watching Tele, I’d like to do more.”