Archived: Lyme Green Hall

Updated 2 August 2019

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 Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by two inspectors.

Service and service type

Lyme Green Hall is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

There was no registered manager and a temporary manager had only recently started at the home. This means that the provider is legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

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 sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. This included contacting Healthwatch. 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 the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with two people who used the service and one relative about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with five members of staff including the manager, one senior care worker, care workers and the chef.

We reviewed a range of records. This included three people’s care records and three medication records. We looked at four staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at further information relating to recruitment and fire records. This information was sent to us by the nominated individual who was unavailable on the day of inspection. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider. We also spoke with four relatives of people receiving a service.

Updated 2 August 2019

About the service

Lyme Green Hall is a residential care home providing personal care to 12 people aged 65 and over at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to 60 people. Lyme Green Hall can accommodate people across three separate wings, each of which has separate adapted facilities. At the time of inspection, only one wing was in use.

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

A new care management company had been in place since the last inspection and they had made a number of improvements. These improvements addressed a significant number of issues we raised at the last inspection, however we still found issues that needed to be addressed.

Most of the service was clean however there was a lack of suitable bathing facilities on the wing of the home people were living in.

Staffing levels had improved since the last inspection, however appropriate recruitment documentation was not in place to ensure the safe recruitment of staff.

People were being supported safely to receive their prescribed medication, however we did identify some issues relating to non-prescribed medication. We have made a recommendation about the management of some medicines.

Safeguarding processes had improved and safe systems were in place to help protect people from the risk of harm or abuse.

The new manager demonstrated a good understanding of their role and responsibilities and worked in partnership with other agencies to ensure people received care and support in line with their assessed needs. People had access to appropriate equipment where needed. staff knew the needs and preferences of people living in the home well. People were treated with kindness and respect.

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.

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 27 December 2018) and there were five breaches of regulation. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve. At this inspection some improvements had been sustained however the provider was still in breach of regulations.

This service has been in Special Measures since 28 December 2018. 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 was a planned inspection based on the previous rating. This inspection was carried out to follow up on action we told the provider to take at the last inspection.

Enforcement

We have identified continued breaches of regulation in relation to the cleanliness and suitability of parts of the building being used to provide care. Some audits were not robust enough to ensure safe recruitment. Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.

Follow up

We will request an action plan for the provider to understand what they will do to improve the standards of quality and safety. We will work alongside the provider and local authority to monitor progress. We will return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.