CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Freckleton Lodge
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- Inspectors were assured that the home managed infection risks, including testing, PPE, isolation, cleaning, visiting and COVID-19 vaccinations. The provider also said it had measures to manage COVID-19-related staffing pressures.
- Effective?
- Good
- This area was not rated in this targeted inspection.
- Caring?
- Good
- This area was not rated in this targeted inspection.
- Responsive?
- Good
- This area was not rated in this targeted inspection.
- Well-led?
- Good
- This area was not rated in this targeted inspection.
What inspectors found, February 2022
Inspected but not rated; inspectors found good infection control, safe visiting arrangements and appropriate COVID-19 precautions.
This was an unannounced, targeted inspection on 21 January 2022. It focused on infection prevention and control during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as staffing pressures.
Inspectors found the home was clean and well maintained. Staff used protective equipment correctly, testing was carried out, vaccination requirements were met, and the home followed guidance for isolation and visiting.
The home was inspected but not rated. This means the visit did not give an overall quality rating or a rated score for the five areas of care.
Infection control
The home had written infection control procedures, regular testing and arrangements for isolating people who tested positive.
“The provider's infection control policy and procedures helped to ensure the service adopted best practice which followed current guidance.” from the report
Cleanliness
The home was clean and maintained. Cleaning was planned, properly equipped and monitored by the registered manager.
“Staff followed written schedules for cleaning each area of the home.” from the report
Protective equipment
Staff had COVID-19 training, used PPE appropriately and had enough PPE available.
“We observed staff used personal protective equipment (PPE) appropriately. The service had ample stocks of PPE.” from the report
Visiting arrangements
The home supported safe visits in several ways, including bedroom visits, a visiting pod and window visits. It also supported telephone and video contact.
“The service facilitated safe visiting in line with current guidance.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How are you managing staffing pressures when staff are absent because of COVID-19?
- 02How do you currently arrange visits during an outbreak, including visits for essential care givers and people at the end of their lives?
- 03How often are residents and staff tested, and what happens if someone tests positive?
- 04How do you check that cleaning schedules, PPE use and infection control procedures are being followed?
- 05Are all non-exempt staff and visiting professionals still fully vaccinated against COVID-19?
This was an unannounced targeted inspection of infection prevention and control and COVID-19-related staffing pressures; the service was inspected but not rated. This explanation was written from the published report of 26 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.
What inspectors found, December 2020
Rated Good; inspectors found strong infection controls, safe care and effective management during the pandemic.
This was an unannounced inspection on 24 November 2020. One inspector spoke with four people, five staff and the registered manager. They checked the building, two care records, staffing, recruitment, medicines and management records.
The home was rated Good overall. Safe and Well-led were both rated Good. Inspectors found good infection control, enough staff, safe medicines procedures and good systems for managing risks and checking quality.
The other three areas, Effective, Caring and Responsive, were not inspected during this visit because no concerns had been identified. Their previous ratings were used when calculating the overall rating.
Infection control
The home had detailed infection control arrangements, regular cleaning and good supplies of protective equipment. Staff were observed using protective equipment correctly.
“There were good stocks of PPE and infection control stations throughout the home.” from the report
Safe staffing and medicines
People and staff said staffing levels were sufficient, and inspectors found staff responded quickly. Medicines were given safely and as prescribed, including for people who managed their own medicines.
“Staff were patient and responded to people's needs quickly.” from the report
Management and feedback
The management team had systems to check the quality of the home and gave people, visitors and staff ways to share their views. Feedback was used to make changes.
“The Management team provided multiple opportunities to assist people, visitors and staff to feed back their experiences of living and working at the home.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01What were the previous ratings for Effective, Caring and Responsive, which were not inspected during this visit?
- 02How are infection control procedures and protective equipment managed now?
- 03How do you check that medicines are given safely and that people who self-administer them remain safe?
- 04How can residents and relatives give feedback, and what changes have been made in response?
- 05How do you check staffing levels meet people's needs when needs change?
This was a focused inspection of Safe and Well-led, including infection prevention and control; Effective, Caring and Responsive were not inspected and their previous ratings carried over. This explanation was written from the published report of 17 December 2020 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 Freckleton Lodge
4 rated inspections over 5 years: the service has improved, from Requires improvement to Good.
- February 2022Inspected but not ratedcurrent ratingSafe: Inspected but not rated
- December 2020Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- September 2019Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodWell-led: Good
- February 2017Goodup from Requires improvementSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- April 2016Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: Requires improvementResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- April 2019
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 26 April 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.
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85 live-in carers within about an hour of Lancashire
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. 78 can care for a couple. 11 years' experience on average.
“She understands the needs of an elderly person in the early stages of dementia and has treated my mother with great kindness and skill.”
“Thanks to Tracy, Dad was always immaculately dressed and clean, his meals were all home cooked and nutritionally well balanced and his home was always kept really clean and tidy.”
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.