Cranswick Lodge

Updated 18 February 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

Two inspectors carried out this inspection. An Expert by Experience sought feedback from people's families by telephone. 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

Southlands 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. Southlands 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 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 was not a registered manager in post. A new manager had been recruited and intended to register with CQC.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with 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 the nominated individual. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider. We also spoke with the manager, 2 senior care workers and 4 care workers. We spoke with 2 people who used the service about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with 6 relatives via telephone. We reviewed a range of records. This included 4 people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at 3 staff files in relation to recruitment. A variety of records relating to the management of the service were reviewed. We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us.

Updated 18 February 2023

Southlands is a residential care home providing accommodation and personal care for up to 48 older people who may be living with dementia or a physical disability. At the time of the inspection, 29 people were using the service.

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

The provider had systems in place for oversight and monitoring the safety and quality of the service which under the new manager had resulted in improvements. However, these improvements were on-going and further work was required regarding the deployment of staff and activities for people. The provider was actively recruiting to support this.

Risks to people's health and safety were identified and records had been updated to reflect these. This ensured staff had up to date information about people they required. Fire safety processes had been improved and regular checks were consistently completed to ensure staff knew the correct action to take to support people in the event of a fire. People's medicines were managed safely and lessons learnt were acted upon, shared with staff and put in to practice.

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.

People were supported by kind and caring staff. Staff felt more supported by the new manager and were receiving regular training to support them in their roles. People’s dining experiences and improved and staff were aware of people’s specific dietary needs. Relatives felt people’s wellbeing had improved due to the improvements made at the service.

Improvements already made, required time to be embedded across the service. The new manager was aware of further improvements that were needed and they were committed to making positive changes.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the Care Quality Commission (CQC) website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection and update

The last rating for this service was inadequate (published 01 November 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 01 November 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

This inspection was carried out to follow up on action we told the provider to take at the last inspection.

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 request an action plan and meet with the provider following this report being published to discuss how they will make changes to ensure they improve their rating to at least good. We will work with the local authority to monitor progress. We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.