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What the CQC found at Fairdene Lodge

Outstandingpublished 8 May 2025, 17 months ago

Rated Outstanding: inspectors found the home performing exceptionally well.

The latest report, explained

What inspectors found, March 2022

Fairdene Lodge was inspected but not rated; inspectors found good infection control and enough staffing during a COVID-19 outbreak.

This was an announced, targeted inspection on 28 January 2022. Inspectors looked mainly at infection prevention and control during a COVID-19 outbreak, and asked about staffing pressures.

Inspectors were assured that visitors, new admissions, staff and residents were protected through testing, PPE, cleaning, ventilation and handwashing. The home had enough staff to support people safely, with a contingency plan for shortages.

The home supported visits from named essential care givers during the outbreak. Inspectors also found that the infection prevention and control policy was up to date and that the current COVID-19 vaccination requirements were being met.

The service was inspected but not rated. This means the inspection did not give an overall quality rating or full ratings for all five areas of care.

What inspectors praised
  • Visits during outbreaks

    The home allowed named essential care givers to visit during the COVID-19 outbreak. This helped reduce social isolation.

    “During a recent COVID-19 outbreak the provider had facilitated visits for 'essential care givers'.” from the report
  • Cleaning and hygiene

    A dedicated housekeeping team used checklists and carried out regular cleaning, including deep cleaning of residents' rooms.

    “The service had a specific housekeeping team who used checklists to ensure regular and consistent cleaning, especially of high touch areas such as light switches.” from the report
  • Staffing cover

    Inspectors found enough staff to support people safely, including during holidays, sickness and COVID-19 isolation.

    “There were enough staff to support people safely and to cover any staff holidays, sickness and COVID-19 isolation.” from the report
  • Infection control arrangements

    Inspectors were assured about PPE, testing, ventilation, hygiene, admissions and the home's infection control policy.

    “We were assured that the provider's infection prevention and control policy was up to date.” from the report
What inspectors were concerned about
  • Some staffing pressure

    minor

    The home had experienced pressure on staff numbers. Inspectors said a contingency plan was in place and found no direct impact on people's health and safety.

    “There had been some pressures on staff numbers however the provider had a contingency plan in place to ensure any staff shortages did not have a direct impact on people's health and safety.” from the report
Questions to ask them, based on this report
  1. 01How would you maintain safe staffing if several staff were off sick or isolating?
  2. 02How are essential care giver visits managed during a COVID-19 outbreak now?
  3. 03How often are high-touch areas and residents' rooms cleaned, and how is this checked?
  4. 04How do you manage isolation for people who cannot understand or follow isolation arrangements?
  5. 05How do you keep staff and visiting professionals up to date with current COVID-19 vaccination and testing requirements?

This was a targeted inspection of infection prevention and control and staffing pressures; it did not rate the other four areas or give an overall quality rating. This explanation was written from the published report of 18 March 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.

An earlier report, explained

What inspectors found, February 2022

Fairdene Lodge was rated Good overall; inspectors found exceptionally responsive, kind care, with a minor concern about social distancing.

Inspectors visited unannounced on 16 December 2021. They spoke with people, staff, relatives and other professionals. They observed care and checked care plans, medicine records, staff recruitment files and management records.

The home was rated Good for Safe, Effective, Caring and Well-led. It was rated Outstanding for Responsive. Inspectors found people were safe, medicines were managed properly, staff understood people's needs and relatives were positive about the care.

The strongest area was personalised support and activities. The home used technology, community links and individual interests to improve people's wellbeing and reduce isolation. Inspectors found improvements since the previous inspection, including the correct reporting of significant incidents.

What inspectors praised
  • Personalised activities

    Activities were based on people's histories, interests and wishes. The home used creative schemes and community links to improve wellbeing.

    “People received outstanding care that significantly improved their lives and well-being.” from the report
  • Technology and independence

    Personalised devices helped people enjoy music, books and news, and stay in contact with relatives. Technology was also used to support people living with dementia.

    “The service had an exceptionally proactive approach to using technology to enhance people's lives.” from the report
  • Safe medicines and staffing

    There were enough staff to meet people's needs. Medicine records had no gaps or omissions, and staff were checked and assessed before administering medicines alone.

    “We checked medicine administration records (MARs), there were no gaps or omissions.” from the report
  • Kind and respectful care

    Staff knew people well, responded quickly when someone was distressed and respected privacy, dignity, religion and independence.

    “Throughout the inspection we saw warm interactions between staff and people.” from the report
  • Improved reporting

    The previous problem with reporting certain significant incidents had been corrected. Inspectors found the home was no longer in breach of that requirement.

    “At this inspection, we found notifications had been supplied as appropriate and this was no longer a breach of regulation.” from the report
What inspectors were concerned about
  • Social distancing

    minor

    The home found it difficult to maintain social distancing because some people could not remember or understand why it was needed. Other measures were in place, and inspectors signposted resources to strengthen the approach.

    “The provider was finding it difficult to meet social distancing rules due to people not being able to recall or understand why this was necessary.” from the report
Questions to ask them, based on this report
  1. 01How would you manage infection risks if a resident could not understand or remember social distancing guidance?
  2. 02How would you tailor activities to my relative's interests, history, culture and communication needs?
  3. 03How would my family be involved in reviewing and commenting on my relative's electronic care plan?
  4. 04How do you check that medicines are being given correctly and that staff remain competent?
  5. 05How do you learn from incidents and make sure any required notifications are sent?

This was an unannounced planned inspection covering all five CQC questions, including infection prevention and control under Safe. This explanation was written from the published report of 24 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.

The story over the years

Every inspection of Fairdene Lodge

3 rated inspections over 6 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.

  1. March 2022Inspected but not ratedcurrent rating
    Safe: Inspected but not rated

    Read what inspectors found at Fairdene Lodge →

  2. February 2022Goodup from Requires improvement
    Safe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: OutstandingWell-led: Good

    Read what inspectors found at Fairdene Lodge →

  3. June 2019Requires improvementdown from Good
    Safe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
  4. March 2016Good
    Safe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
  5. July 2019

    Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 1 July 2019.

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.

Next steps

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