Lapstone House

Updated 30 November 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

The inspection team consisted of one inspector.

Service and service type

Lapstone 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. Lapstone 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 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 a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

The inspection was unannounced. We carried out an unannounced visit to the home on 1 November 2023. We contacted people’s relatives and staff after our visit. We arranged to return to the home on 7 November 2023 to look at additional records.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since it was registered. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. The provider was not asked to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR) prior to this inspection. A PIR is information providers send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 10 people who lived in the home and 4 relatives. We looked around the home and observed how staff interacted with people. We also spoke with the registered manager and with 5 members of staff. We contacted 2 relatives and 5 staff to gather their views.

We reviewed a range of records. This included 3 people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at 3 staff files in relation to recruitment and training. We also reviewed records relating to the management of the service. 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 30 November 2023

About the service

Lapstone House is a residential care home providing accommodation and personal care to up to 23 people. The service provides support to older people, people living with dementia and people who have a physical disability or sensory impairment. At the time of our inspection there were 18 people using the service.

The provider for the service changed to Cumberland Council following the local government reorganisation and creation of Cumberland Council and Westmorland and Furness Council. The service was previously carried on by Cumbria County Council.

People’s experience of the service and what we found:

People were safe and protected from abuse and avoidable harm. Risks to people’s safety had been identified and managed. People received the care they needed because there were enough staff to support them. People received their medicines safely and as they needed. The registered manager learned and shared lessons from incidents to improve the safety of the service.

People received good care because staff were trained and skilled. People enjoyed the meals provided and staff supported them to make healthy eating choices. Staff worked with appropriate services to ensure people received the healthcare support they needed. Although the home had equipment and adaptations to promote people’s independence, the premises were old and outdated. However, people told us they liked their rooms. The provider had a plan to refurbish the premises to provide more comfortable accommodation for people.

People’s rights were protected because the registered manager and staff understood their responsibilities under the Mental Capacity Act 2005. 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 treated in a kind, caring and respectful way. Staff knew people well and supported them to make choices about their care. Staff respected people’s privacy and dignity and supported people to maintain their independence.

People received person-centred care that met their needs and took account of their wishes. Visitors were made welcome in the home and people were supported to maintain relationships which were important to them. People were provided with a range of activities which they enjoyed. The registered manager had links with appropriate services which would support people at the end of life. The provider had a procedure to respond to complaints about the service.

The registered manager had developed a person-centred culture which promoted positive outcomes for people. People told us they would recommend the home. The registered manager sought people’s feedback and used it to further improve the service. People received care that met their needs because staff worked with other services to plan and provide their support.

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 18 April 2023 and this is the first inspection.

The service was previously carried on by a different provider. The last rating for the service under the previous provider was good, published on 20 April 2018.

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

Follow up

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