CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at 1 Lichfield Lane
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
What inspectors found, March 2023
Rated Requires Improvement; inspectors found kind, personalised care, but serious medicines and record-keeping problems increased safety risks.
Inspectors made an unannounced visit on 7 March 2023. They observed care, spoke with people, staff and relatives, and checked care records, medicines, audits and other management records.
The home was caring and responsive. Staff knew people well, treated them with kindness and supported their choices, communication, health, relationships and activities. There were enough staff, and people were supported to access the community.
However, medicines were not always managed safely. Records were incomplete, some medicines were out of date or poorly labelled, and risks from some medicated creams had not been assessed. Food safety checks and incident records were also not always completed.
The overall rating was Requires Improvement. Safe, Effective and Well-led were rated Requires Improvement, while Caring and Responsive were rated Good. The home breached Regulation 12 on safe care and treatment. The provider must send an action plan, and CQC said it would monitor progress and return.
Kind and respectful care
Staff had good relationships with people and treated them with patience, dignity and respect.
“People were well treated and supported. Staff knew people well and had good relationships with them.” from the report
Personalised support
Care plans reflected people's needs, preferences and communication methods. Families were involved in planning care.
“People received personalised care which met their needs and reflected their preferences.” from the report
Communication support
Staff used different communication methods and worked with families to understand people's needs and languages.
“The staff used different ways to help communicate with people who did not speak, including different forms of sign language, pictures and objects of reference.” from the report
Activities and independence
People were supported to make choices, develop skills, take part in activities and access the community.
“People regularly accessed local parks, external leisure activities and helped with shopping.” from the report
Medicines were not always safe
seriousSome medicines were expired, stored incorrectly or poorly labelled. Administration records were incomplete, and directions and risk assessments for some creams were missing.
“Medicines were not always managed in a safe way. Some medicines which were being used had passed their expiry date.” from the report
Incomplete medicines records
seriousRecords did not always show whether medicines had been given as prescribed. This included missing information about when eye drops were opened.
“Medicines administration records had not always been completed so it was not clear whether medicines had been administered as prescribed.” from the report
Food safety checks
needs fixingOpened food and cooked food were not always dated, and food temperatures were not always checked or recorded. This increased the risk of food being unsafe to eat.
“This meant there was an increased risk of food being unsafe to eat.” from the report
Restrictions not properly recorded
needs fixingLocks on food cupboards and the kitchen restricted access, but there were not always proper assessments or agreements for these restrictions.
“The provider had imposed some restrictions without proper assessment or agreement.” from the report
Records of incidents
needs fixingStaff did not always record incidents accurately. This made it harder for the home to identify triggers and learn from what had happened.
“The registered manager explained that staff did not always do this and therefore, it had sometimes been difficult to analyse triggers for incidents.” from the report
- 01What changes have been made to ensure all medicines are in date, correctly labelled and recorded when given?
- 02How are the risks from flammable medicated creams assessed and explained to staff?
- 03How are food dates and storage and cooking temperatures now checked and recorded?
- 04What assessments and agreements are now in place for locked food cupboards and the kitchen?
- 05How are incidents recorded and reviewed so that triggers and lessons are identified?
This was an unannounced inspection covering all five key questions, including care, the environment, infection control, medicines and management records. This explanation was written from the published report of 31 March 2023 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, September 2017
London Care Partnership Limited - 1 Lichfield Lane was rated Outstanding overall; inspectors found safe, highly personalised care with Good ratings for safety and caring.
This was an unannounced inspection over two days, on 25 and 28 April 2017. The inspector observed care, spoke with people, relatives, staff, managers and health professionals, and checked care plans, medicines records, staffing, training and quality checks.
The home supported up to eight younger adults with learning disabilities. Inspectors found that people were treated with patience and respect, had many choices, and were supported to build skills, friendships and confidence. Staff understood people's communication needs and used individual plans to support activities, health and daily life.
The home was judged Good for Safe and Caring, and Outstanding for Effective, Responsive and Well-led. The overall rating was Outstanding. The previous inspection in December 2014 had rated every area Good, so the overall rating had improved.
Personalised support
Care plans covered each person's communication, health, interests, education and life skills. Staff used this information to help people make choices and achieve personal goals.
“The home had a strong person centred culture and was creative in making sure people had access to care packages that really met their needs and were focussed on them.” from the report
Activities and community life
People were supported to enjoy a wide range of activities at home and in the community. This included education, exercise, social events, volunteering and visits to local places.
“People chose and joined in with a range of recreational and educational activities at home and within the local community during our visit.” from the report
Skilled staff
Staff received general and specialist training, including training about autism, communication and positive behaviour support. Inspectors saw staff using these skills effectively.
“The staff we spoke with had received excellent training that was organisational based and service- and person-specific.” from the report
Safe medicines practice
Medicines were safely given, stored, monitored and disposed of. The records checked by inspectors were complete and up to date.
“The medicine records for all people using the service were checked and fully completed and up to date.” from the report
Open management
Relatives and staff said managers were approachable and listened to feedback. Quality checks were used to identify improvements and monitor people's experiences.
“The quality assurance, feedback and recording systems covered all aspects of the service constantly monitoring standards and driving improvement.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How would you assess and review my relative's risks while still supporting them to try new experiences and make choices?
- 02How would you learn my relative's communication methods, triggers and calming strategies, and how would you avoid using physical restraint?
- 03What activities and community opportunities would be planned around my relative's interests, health and abilities?
- 04How would you involve me and my relative in care plan reviews, best-interest decisions and changes in support?
- 05What specialist training would the staff supporting my relative receive, and how would you check that they could use it in practice?
This was an unannounced two-day inspection covering all five CQC areas, including observations, discussions and checks of care plans, medicines, staffing, training and quality systems. This explanation was written from the published report of 13 September 2017 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. The report was longer than we could read in one go; the later sections may not be reflected.
Every inspection of 1 Lichfield Lane
3 rated inspections over 8 years: the service has slipped, from Good to Requires improvement.
- March 2023Requires improvementcurrent ratingdown from OutstandingSafe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- September 2017Outstandingup from GoodSafe: GoodEffective: OutstandingCaring: GoodResponsive: OutstandingWell-led: Outstanding
- April 2015GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- September 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- October 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- September 2011
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 8 September 2011.
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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At least 100 live-in carers within about an hour of Richmond upon Thames
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 £1,270 a week. 78 can care for a couple. 11 years' experience on average.
“Without his support we wouldn't have been able to navigate bringing and keeping Dad at home.”
“We cannot speak highly enough of the care that Angelique gave, and would recommend her to anyone else needing a live-in carer.”
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.