CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Carlile Lodge
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- People helped identify risks and agree how staff should reduce them. Staff were safely recruited, staffing levels were based on people's needs, and medicines and incidents were monitored.
- Effective?
- Good
- Staff had relevant training and support. People chose their food, activities and daily support, and were helped to manage health conditions and make decisions in the least restrictive way.
- Caring?
- Good
- Staff treated people with kindness and patience and knew them well. People were supported to express themselves, maintain relationships and deal with distress or bereavement.
- Responsive?
- Good
- Care plans were written with people and reflected their choices, goals and preferred staff. People took part in work, volunteering, activities and local groups, and complaints were handled appropriately.
- Well-led?
- Good
- The manager and provider were described as available and supportive. Regular audits, feedback and links with other professionals were used to monitor and improve the service.
What inspectors found, June 2018
Rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and person-centred care, with house meetings needing improvement.
This was an unannounced inspection on 26 February 2018. Two inspectors spent time with six people, spoke with three people and staff, and reviewed care plans, risk assessments, medicines records, recruitment files, training records and quality checks.
The inspectors found that people were supported to stay safe while developing independence. People helped plan their care and risks, managed medicines where possible, chose their food and activities, and received support that reflected their communication needs and preferences.
Staff were described as kind, patient and knowledgeable about the people they supported. There were enough trained staff, recruitment checks were in place, and the manager and provider used audits and feedback to monitor the home.
All five areas were rated Good: safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led. This was the same overall rating as at the previous inspection. The report found no serious risks or concerns at the time.
Shared safety planning
People were involved in identifying their own risks and agreeing how staff should help reduce them. Staff followed the agreed guidance during the inspection.
“People were involved in identifying risks and planning how to mitigate them.” from the report
Kind and understanding staff
Staff were patient and responded quickly when people became anxious or upset. They knew people's histories, preferences and ways of communicating.
“Staff were patient with people and took time to listen to their concerns or worries.” from the report
Choice and independence
People helped design their support, chose meals and activities, and could manage parts of their medicines and health care where possible.
“People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives” from the report
Person-centred support
Care plans were written with people and included their goals, preferred staff and the level of help they needed.
“People's care was delivered in a person centred way.” from the report
Quality monitoring
The home carried out regular checks and used action plans when issues were found. People, families and professionals were asked for feedback.
“Regular audits were completed of all areas to monitor the quality of care.” from the report
House meetings were not effective
minorPeople and staff recognised that house meetings had become a list of instructions rather than a useful way to share views. They were working on a new approach.
“people and staff had recognised that these were not being effective and had become a list of things people should do.” from the report
- 01What has changed about the house meetings since the inspection, and how do people now influence decisions?
- 02How would you support my relative to manage their own medicines, and how would you review their ability to do this?
- 03How do you support people who go out independently to recognise risks and stay safe?
- 04How would you adapt communication and care planning to my relative's understanding and preferences?
- 05How do you support people with health conditions, appointments and changes in their health?
This was an unannounced inspection covering all five key questions, with the overall rating remaining Good. This explanation was written from the published report of 26 June 2018 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 Carlile Lodge
2 rated inspections over 3 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- June 2018Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- December 2015GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- August 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- January 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- December 2010
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 3 December 2010.
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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39 live-in carers within about an hour of Kent
These are self-employed carers on PrimeCarers, the introductory agency that runs this directory. Each has a profile with their own rates and reviews from families, and you choose who to talk to.
Most charge £980 to £1,260 a week. 33 can care for a couple. 12 years' experience on average.
“Always on time and with a lovely smile for my mum. Theresa is kind and sensitive to my mum's needs.”
“Irene was a very kind and empathetic carer who knew just the right words to say to put a smile on my face.”
Every carer has had an enhanced DBS check in the last 18 months, ID and right-to-work checks and an online interview. Their skills and training are for you to check with them. Carers set their own rates, and who is free changes week to week.