CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Court Lodge
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- Inspectors found enough staff, safe recruitment, clear risk assessments and medicines records without gaps. Staff understood how to recognise and report abuse.
- Effective?
- Requires improvement
- Some parts of the building needed repair, and staff needed clearer guidance about what to do if one person's health monitoring results caused concern. Other findings included suitable training, food support and work within the Mental Capacity Act.
- Caring?
- Good
- Staff knew people well, treated them with dignity and supported their independence. Information was adapted to help people communicate and make choices.
- Responsive?
- Good
- Care plans reflected people's preferences and goals. People helped choose activities, and staff offered alternatives when plans changed.
- Well-led?
- Good
- People, relatives and staff spoke positively about the culture and leadership. Audits, meetings and improved daily records supported oversight, although the provider had not acted promptly on reported repairs.
What inspectors found, April 2019
Court Lodge was rated Good overall, but inspectors found repairs were overdue and the service was Requires Improvement for effectiveness.
This was an unannounced planned inspection on 3 April 2019. One inspector spoke with people, relatives, managers and staff, observed care, and checked care, medicine, recruitment, training and management records.
The home was rated Good for being safe, caring, responsive and well-led. People were supported to make choices, take part in activities, access the community and maintain their independence. Inspectors found enough staff and safe medicine arrangements.
The home was rated Requires Improvement for being effective. Some areas needed repair, including the stairs and a first-floor bathroom. The report also said clearer instructions were needed for staff monitoring one person's health condition.
The overall rating stayed Good, the same as at the previous inspection on 5 October 2016. The report says managers had improved activities, communication and daily records, but overdue repairs still needed action.
Choice and activities
People were supported to decide how they spent their time and to follow their interests. Staff used people's histories and technology to help them choose activities.
“People told us they decided how they spent their time, and the activities they took part in.” from the report
Enough staff
Inspectors found staffing levels were sufficient to keep people safe and support their interests. Staff also worked together to cover shifts at short notice.
“There continued to be enough staff to meet people's needs and keep them safe.” from the report
Kind and respectful care
Staff knew people well, noticed when they were anxious and encouraged independence. People were involved in decisions about their care.
“During our inspection, we observed that staff knew people well, sharing jokes and light conversation.” from the report
Safe medicines
Medicine administration records checked by inspectors were complete. Guidance was available for medicines taken when needed, and medicines were reviewed.
“We reviewed medicine administration records (MAR) and saw they were completed fully without any gaps.” from the report
Improved teamwork
The report describes better staff morale, communication and planning under the newer management arrangements. Staff said the home had moved forward and people were going out more.
“Togetherness and team work is what I am most proud of.” from the report
Overdue repairs
needs fixingThe stairs needed redecoration and the first-floor bathroom needed improvement. These issues had been recorded since August 2018, with no completion date, so inspectors identified this as an area for improvement.
“These issues had been logged by managers on the providers maintenance log since August 2018, but the improvements had not been made and there was no date they were due to be completed by.” from the report
Clearer health-monitoring instructions
needs fixingStaff were monitoring one person's health condition, but did not yet have clear enough instructions about what action to take when results were lower than required. The home was working with healthcare professionals to improve the documentation.
“Staff were monitoring the person, but identified they needed clearer guidelines on what action to take if there were concerns about the results” from the report
- 01Have the stairs and first-floor bathroom now been repaired, and what was the final completion date?
- 02What written guidance do staff now follow if health-monitoring results are lower than required?
- 03How are staff checked to make sure they understand the updated health-monitoring guidance?
- 04How do people currently help choose activities, and what happens when they change their minds?
- 05How are improvements to daily records and staff communication checked over time?
This was an unannounced planned inspection covering all five CQC questions, including the premises and the care provided. This explanation was written from the published report of 26 April 2019 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, October 2016
Rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised care across all five areas.
The inspection took place without notice on 5 October 2016. One inspector spoke with all six people living at the home, the manager and two care staff. They reviewed care files, staff recruitment records, support records, audits and policies.
The inspectors found enough staff, appropriate recruitment checks and safe medicines arrangements. Staff understood safeguarding, mental capacity and emergency procedures. People appeared relaxed and said they felt safe.
Care was described as kind, respectful and tailored to each person. People had choices about food, activities and daily life. The home worked with health professionals and responded to complaints quickly.
The CQC rated the home Good overall and Good in Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. The report did not identify any breaches or enforcement action.
Enough staff
Inspectors found staffing levels matched people's needs, including support for individual programmes and community activities. Staffing had recently been increased for one person's additional support needs.
“There were sufficient staff on duty to meet people's needs, which included being able to support people with their individual programs and access to the community.” from the report
Kind and respectful care
People appeared comfortable with staff. Staff supported privacy, independence, personal choices and contact with family and friends.
“We noted throughout our inspection there was a very calm and relaxed atmosphere and people and staff got on well together.” from the report
Personalised support
Support plans included individual health needs, preferences and signs that someone's mental health might be deteriorating. Plans were updated when needs changed.
“Each support plan included information about the person's health, medication, likes, dislikes and preferences.” from the report
Quality monitoring
The manager and provider used audits covering care plans, medicines and the environment. Other meetings and questionnaires were used to gather people's views.
“The manager and provider had a number of internal quality monitoring systems in place to continually review and improve the quality of the service provided to people.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How many staff are usually on duty now, and has the staffing level changed since the inspection?
- 02How are care plans reviewed when someone's mental health or support needs change?
- 03How are medicines checked now, and what happens if a medicines error is found?
- 04What activities and community opportunities are available for the person we are considering placing here?
- 05How are people's views and complaints recorded and used to make changes?
This was an unannounced inspection covering the overall service and all five CQC questions: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. This explanation was written from the published report of 18 October 2016 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 Court Lodge
2 rated inspections over 3 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- April 2019Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- October 2016GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- June 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- May 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
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Most charge £980 to £1,260 a week. 33 can care for a couple. 12 years' experience on average.
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