We carried out a review of the data available to us about Woodcot Lodge on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about Woodcot Lodge, you can give feedback on this service.
Woodcot Lodge is a care home registered to provide personal and nursing care for up to 85 people. The home is for people who require a short assessment of needs period when discharged from hospital prior to being returned to their own home or transferred to another care setting. At the time of this inspection there were 57 people in the service.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
Care and treatment were planned and delivered in a way that was intended to ensure people's safety and welfare. People were cared for safely by staff who had been recruited and employed after the required checks had been completed. Staff had received appropriate training. There were systems in place to minimise the risk of infection and to learn lessons from accidents and incidents. Medication was dispensed by staff who had received training to do so.
The home was generally clean and well maintained. However, we identified some areas which required attention. The registered manager told us these areas were being addressed in their development plan.
The registered manager had a good understanding of their responsibilities in relation to the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service support this practice.
People were supported to eat and drink enough to ensure they maintained a balanced diet and referrals to other health professionals were made when required.
We spent time observing staff interacting with people who used the service and found they were kind and caring. People's relatives we spoke with spoke highly of the care and support their family member received.
The registered manager responded to complaints received in a timely manner. People were supported to make plans for the end of their life. The registered manager had systems in place to monitor and provide good care and these were reviewed on a regular basis.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection
This service was registered with us on 15 June 2020 and this is the first inspection.
Why we inspected
The inspection was prompted in part due to concerns received about staffing levels in the home, infection control, poor communication and attention to personal hygiene. A decision was made for us to inspect and examine those risks.
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.
We found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm from these concerns. Please see the full report which details our findings.
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.
We found the following examples of good practice.
¿ There will be a robust visiting policy with arrangements in place to help ensure the safety of visitors. Visitors will be required to complete a health questionnaire before visiting the unit. Temperature checks will be completed on arrival and PPE (personal protective equipment) will be available for all visitors. Visitors will be restricted to essential visits which will be assessed for the individual person such as for those receiving end of life care.
¿ Individual bedrooms and the unit were suitable to meet the needs of people to be accommodated. Each room had en-suite facilities, hospital beds, nurse call systems, consideration has been given to ensure the rooms were furnished with wipe clean seating, the flooring has been replaced to ensure enhanced cleaning can be carried out. Each room had its own television and radio. The unit is spacious and will allow 2 metre social distancing.
¿ Arrangements are in place to support staff to use PPE safely. Staff have their own entrance to the nightingale unit which enabled them to change from their day wear to work uniform. Staff will put on their PPE outside of the unit which will reduce the risk of cross infection. There is a PPE station inside of the unit for staff to change their PPE prior to entering individual rooms, clinical waste bins are in place for used PPE. There is a staff rest area on the unit that has facilities for staff to shower. PPE guidance is displayed at PPE stations.
¿ Staff had received training in the appropriate use of PPE, infection prevention and control training had been carried out by all staff. There were sufficient supplies of PPE including face visors to ensure staff are protected from the virus. The registered manager will ensure staff have enough supplies of PPE.
¿ Staff will be tested weekly for Covid-19. This meant action could be taken swiftly in the event anyone developed symptoms of the virus or had a positive test result.
¿ Enhanced cleaning schedules including regular cleaning of touch areas such as handrails and door handles were in place. This reduced the risk of cross infection.
¿ Suitable arrangements to manage contaminated laundry were in place. Laundry facilities were on site, there was a laundry shoot from the unit directly to the laundry, all laundry from the unit is doubled bagged and collected in the laundry via the shoot into a designated cage.
¿ There was a detailed infection prevention and control policy in place. This provided guidance on infection control for staff, people and any visitors. This also included risk assessments of the environment and the tasks being completed. Infection control auditing was carried out monthly by external auditors and action plans put in place by the registered manager to monitor improvements and recommendations.
We were assured that this service met good infection prevention and control guidelines as a designated care setting.
Further information is in the detailed findings below.