CQC report explained · a nursing home
What the CQC found at Avon Lodge Care Home
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- People told inspectors they felt safe. The home had safeguarding procedures, risk assessments, enough staff, safe medicines systems and infection control arrangements.
- Effective?
- Good
- This area was not assessed in this inspection.
- Caring?
- Good
- This area was not assessed in this inspection. Inspectors did record that three people had concerns about the kindness and helpfulness of some night staff.
- Responsive?
- Good
- This area was not assessed in this inspection.
- Well-led?
- Good
- Quality checks, improvement plans and management oversight were in place. However, there had been several manager changes, which staff found unsettling.
What inspectors found, August 2022
Avon Lodge Care Home rated Good; inspectors found people were safe and the home was well managed, but noted frequent manager changes and concerns about some night staff.
Inspectors made an unannounced visit on 12 July 2022. They spoke with people living at the home, staff and the manager. They observed care and checked records about recruitment, medicines, infection control and quality checks.
The home was rated Good overall. Safe and Well-led were both rated Good. Inspectors found enough staff, safe medicines management, suitable safeguarding arrangements and detailed risk assessments. Infection control arrangements were also in place.
There had been several manager changes, and staff said this had been unsettling. Inspectors found this had not affected people's care. Three people raised concerns about some night staff being less kind or helpful than day staff, and the manager said they would take action.
This inspection checked Safe and Well-led rather than all five areas of care. The Good overall rating continued from the previous inspection, published in November 2017.
People felt safe
People said they felt safe, and staff understood how to report safeguarding concerns and protect people from harm.
“People told us they felt safe. There were safeguarding procedures in place and staff and managers had a clear understanding of these procedures.” from the report
Enough staff
Inspectors found enough staff to meet people's needs. Staff were observed responding promptly and monitoring communal areas.
“There were enough staff to meet people's needs and keep them safe.” from the report
Detailed risk planning
Risk assessments and care plans gave staff guidance about falls, moving and handling, nutrition, choking and pressure sores.
“Risk assessments outlined measures to help reduce the likelihood of people being harmed and care plans contained detailed guidance for staff to follow to keep people safe.” from the report
Strong quality checks
The home used audits, governance reports and improvement plans to monitor care and address shortfalls.
“Robust systems were in place to provide oversight of the quality of the service.” from the report
Frequent management changes
needs fixingSeveral managers had left since the previous inspection. Staff said the changes were unsettling, although inspectors found no impact on people's care.
“Staff that we spoke with told us that they found changes in the management team unsettling.” from the report
Some night staff concerns
needs fixingThree people said some night staff were less kind or willing to help than day staff. The manager said they would speak with people and carry out monitoring checks.
“Three people told us that they found night staff were not so nice as the day staff.” from the report
- 01What action has been taken in response to concerns about some night staff being less kind or helpful?
- 02How are you checking the quality of care provided by night staff?
- 03Is the new manager now in post, and how are you keeping management stable?
- 04How many permanent staff are currently employed, and how often are agency staff used?
- 05How will you assess the areas not covered by this inspection, including Effective, Caring and Responsive?
This was a focused inspection of Safe and Well-led, including infection prevention and control; Effective, Caring and Responsive were not assessed and no new ratings were given for them. This explanation was written from the published report of 5 August 2022 by an AI system and checked against the report text: every quoted line appears in the report. It is a guide to the report, not a substitute for it. Read the full report on cqc.org.uk.
What inspectors found, February 2022
Avon Lodge Care Home was inspected but not rated; inspectors found strong infection-control arrangements, with pandemic-related staffing pressures being managed.
This was an unannounced, targeted inspection on 13 January 2022. It looked at infection prevention and control, and at whether COVID-19 staffing pressures affected the home.
Inspectors were assured that the home used PPE safely, arranged testing, managed visitors, followed isolation guidance and kept its infection-control policy up to date. The home was cleaned regularly and these checks were monitored.
The home had workforce pressures linked to the pandemic. Regular agency staff were being booked and recruitment to vacant posts was under way. This inspection did not give an overall quality rating or ratings for most of the five questions.
Infection control
Inspectors were assured that PPE was used safely and effectively.
“We were assured that the provider was using PPE effectively and safely.” from the report
Visitor safety
The home had a clear process for visitors, including testing, temperature checks, PPE and hand sanitiser.
“There was a clear and safe process in place for visitors to the home and this was in line with current guidance.” from the report
Cleanliness
Relatives spoke positively about the home's cleanliness and hygiene, and inspectors saw staff carrying out cleaning.
“I have always found the cleanliness and the hygiene at the home extremely good.” from the report
Staffing measures
The home was using regular agency staff and recruiting to vacant posts to manage pandemic-related pressures.
“Regular agency staff were booked and recruitment to vacant posts was underway.” from the report
Workforce pressures
minorThe home had experienced staffing pressure because of the pandemic. The report says this was being managed, but regular agency staff were being used while recruitment continued.
“The home had experienced some workforce pressures as a result of the pandemic, but this was being managed well.” from the report
- 01How many vacant posts are there now, and has recruitment finished for the posts mentioned in the report?
- 02How many agency staff are currently working in the home, and how do you make sure staffing pressures do not affect people's care?
- 03What infection-control checks are now used for visitors, including testing, PPE and hand hygiene?
- 04How are people isolated and supported if they test positive for an infection?
- 05How do you check that staff and visiting professionals meet the COVID-19 vaccination requirements or have an exemption?
This was an unannounced targeted inspection of infection prevention and control and pandemic-related staffing pressures; it did not provide an overall rating or ratings for the other four questions. This explanation was written from the published report of 23 February 2022 by an AI system and checked against the report text: every quoted line appears in the report. It is a guide to the report, not a substitute for it. Read the full report on cqc.org.uk.
Every inspection of Avon Lodge Care Home
3 rated inspections over 6 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- August 2022Goodcurrent ratingSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- February 2022Inspected but not ratedSafe: Inspected but not rated
- November 2017Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodWell-led: Good
- February 2017GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- May 2015
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 19 May 2015.
Ratings and report dates from the Care Quality Commission, Open Government Licence v3.0. A home can also be visited without a new rating being published, so the timeline shows published inspections.
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