We carried out a review of the data available to us about Lawford 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 Lawford Lodge, you can give feedback on this service.
Lawford Lodge is a care home providing respite care for people aged 18 to 25 with profound disabilities and complex medical needs. The service can support up to two people. At the time of the inspection there were no people receiving respite. The two most recent people to have had respite at Lawford Lodge went home the day prior to the inspection.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
Staff knew what signs and symptoms could indicate people are experiencing abuse or harm. Staff felt confident management would listen and act if they raised concerns.
People felt safe. There were enough staff to keep people safe and meet people’s individual needs. Staff knew people well and had a good understanding of their individual risks and how to minimise them without being unduly restrictive. There were robust processes in place to ensure the safe recruitment of staff.
People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives during their respite stays 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.
Staff understood the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and how it applied to the people there. This provided protection for people who do not have capacity to make decisions for themselves. People’s consent was consistently sought prior to support being offered. Records and a person confirmed this.
A range of audits and regular checks helped ensure service quality was maintained and areas for improvement identified. Learning was shared with staff and used to develop the service. Staff told us they were supported to progress professionally which made them feel motivated and confident in their roles. Staff told us their work during the COVID-19 pandemic had been recognised and rewarded.
People were supported by staff who had received the necessary training and ongoing support to help them meet people’s complex support needs with confidence, dignity and respect. Staff competency was monitored on an ongoing basis through practice observations, regular supervision and appraisals.
Staff got on well with their colleagues and felt supported by the registered manager. People, relatives, staff and professionals were unanimously positive about the registered manager and said the service was well run. A person told us, “[The registered manager] is very nice and helps a lot. I love staying here.”
We expect health and social care providers to guarantee autistic people and people with a learning disability the choices, dignity, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. Right Support, right care, right culture is the statutory guidance which supports CQC to make assessments and judgements about services providing support to people with a learning disability and/or autistic people.
The service was able to demonstrate how they were meeting the underpinning principles of Right support, right care, right culture.
Right support:
• The model of care and service setting maximised people’s choice, control and independence
Right care:
• Care provided at the service was person-centred and promoted people’s dignity, privacy and human rights
Right culture:
• The ethos, values, attitudes and behaviours of management and care staff ensured people
using the respite service led confident, inclusive and empowered lives
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection
The service was registered with us on 01/07/2019 and this is the first inspection.
Why we inspected
We inspected this service as they had not been inspected by us since registering with us. We had not received any concerning information about this service from the time of their registration up to and including the time we carried out this 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 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.