CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Freda Gunton Lodge Residential Home
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- People received their medicines when they needed them and there were enough staff to meet people's needs. Some risk records and evacuation records were not fully up to date, and medicines were not always managed consistently.
- Effective?
- Good
- Staff had comprehensive training and people received suitable food, drinks and healthcare support. Consent for monitoring equipment, including sensor mats, had not always been assessed or recorded properly, but the provider acted immediately.
- Caring?
- Good
- People said they enjoyed living in the home and were treated with kindness and respect. Staff supported independence and offered choices about food, activities and everyday life.
- Responsive?
- Good
- The home offered personalised choices, communication support and a varied programme of activities. Care plans were not routinely updated and sometimes contradicted daily records, although staff knew people's current needs.
- Well-led?
- Requires improvement
- Staff were positive about the home and its values, but management oversight was not consistent enough. Audits did not always identify problems, some care records were incomplete, and some required notifications had not been made.
What inspectors found, February 2020
Freda Gunton Lodge Residential Home is rated Good overall; inspectors found kind, flexible care but management checks and records needed improvement.
This was an unannounced inspection on 5 and 6 December 2019. Inspectors spoke with people living in the home, relatives, visitors, staff and a health professional. They reviewed care plans, medicines records, recruitment files, audits and other management records.
The home was rated Good for Safe, Effective, Caring and Responsive. People received their medicines, there were enough trained staff, the home was clean, and people were supported to make choices about meals, activities and daily life. Inspectors also found good support with healthcare and end of life care.
Well-led was rated Requires Improvement. Some care plans were out of date or contradicted daily records. Formal consent records were incomplete, audits did not always identify problems, and some required notifications had not been sent. The provider took immediate action on some issues and was moving to electronic care planning.
Enough, capable staff
Inspectors found enough staff on duty and said staff knew people well. Recruitment checks were completed and many staff had worked at the home for more than 10 years.
“There were ample staff on duty to meet people's needs.” from the report
Kind and respectful care
People were offered help while being encouraged to remain independent. Staff respected privacy and asked for consent before entering rooms or providing support.
“Support was provided when people needed it but every opportunity was first given to people for them to remain independent.” from the report
Choice and activities
People could choose when, where and what to eat. The home provided group and one-to-one activities, with support for people's interests and relationships.
“People choose plates of fruit, cheese and biscuits and sandwiches amongst other things.” from the report
Good end of life support
The home had experience of supporting people at the end of their lives. Inspectors found care plans included end of life wishes and that people's deaths were handled respectfully.
“Death was dignified, respectful and thoughtful.” from the report
Clean environment
Inspectors found the home very clean. Staff had suitable equipment and used protective equipment to help reduce infection risks.
“The home was very clean and furniture was cleaned regularly and kept its 'as new' appearance throughout the home.” from the report
Consent records
needs fixingThe need for sensor mats had not always been assessed and agreed with the person. Some forms had been signed by someone else without a clear record of their authority.
“Some forms of consent had not been signed by the person themselves and there was not a record to say why someone else had signed in agreement to information.” from the report
Out-of-date care plans
needs fixingCare plans were not routinely reviewed when people's needs changed. Daily records sometimes contradicted the care plans, even though staff could explain people's current needs.
“We found information was available in daily records but it often contradicted the care plans.” from the report
Weak management checks
needs fixingAudits were not frequent or comprehensive enough to identify all problems. Some care plans might not be formally checked for several years.
“This meant it may be four years for some care plans to be audited.” from the report
Missing notifications
needs fixingThe home had not always told CQC about incidents and events that required notification. The acting manager said this would be addressed in future.
“When we reviewed the information available at the home this had not always happened.” from the report
- 01How do you now make sure care plans are updated when a person's needs change?
- 02How do you record consent for sensor mats and other monitoring equipment?
- 03How often are care plans, medicines and other key records now audited?
- 04What changes have been made to ensure all required incidents are notified to CQC?
- 05How are care records checked while the move to electronic care planning is completed?
This was an unannounced planned inspection covering all five CQC questions, with the care provided and the home's premises both assessed. This explanation was written from the published report of 11 February 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.
What inspectors found, May 2017
Freda Gunton Lodge Residential Home was rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and well-managed care, with some room to improve meals and activities.
The inspection was unannounced and took place on 28 March 2017. One inspector and an Expert by Experience observed care, checked the home and reviewed records. They spoke with nine people living there, four relatives and three staff, as well as managers and others.
There were 39 people living at the home, which could accommodate up to 40 people. Inspectors rated all five areas Good: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. They found enough staff, suitable training, detailed care plans, safe medicines systems and kind, respectful support.
At the previous inspection in July 2014, medicines records and administration were unsafe and this was a breach of the rules. At this inspection, the home had introduced an electronic medicines system and inspectors found the earlier problem had been addressed.
There were some smaller issues. Some people said meals were not always hot enough. The home was also still working to improve how often people saw their key worker. Inspectors found that one person's capacity assessment needed review, and applications for legal authorisation were made after the inspection.
Medicines had improved
The earlier medicines breach had been resolved. Inspectors saw a new electronic system being used safely, with trained staff and checks on their competence.
“During this inspection, we found that all necessary actions had been taken by the provider to address the risks identified and the service was no longer in breach of the regulation.” from the report
Kind and respectful care
People were treated with kindness and dignity. Staff knew people's individual preferences and encouraged them to remain as independent as possible.
“We observed warm and kind exchanges.” from the report
Good staffing and training
Inspectors found enough staff on shift and appropriate recruitment checks. Staff received induction, training, supervision and appraisals.
“There were sufficient numbers of care staff on shift with the correct skills and knowledge to keep people safe.” from the report
Person-centred support
Care plans covered people's health, abilities, preferences and lifestyle choices. People and relatives were involved in planning care.
“There was a strong, visible person-centred care culture at the service.” from the report
Open management
The management team was visible and approachable. Quality audits were used to identify actions and check that improvements were completed.
“Regular and effective audits were completed. Action was taken when shortfalls were identified.” from the report
Meal temperatures
minorSome people said meals could be hotter, particularly when food was taken to bedrooms. The home had bought another heated trolley and was preparing to trial a different way of delivering meals.
“The food itself looked very nice, though some people said that it could be hotter.” from the report
Activities and key-worker contact
minorActivities were available, but they did not always suit what people wanted, especially for those who stayed in their rooms. Some people also wanted to see their key worker more often.
“The registered manager was still looking to further improve this system.” from the report
Capacity assessment needed review
needs fixingInspectors found that one person's care plan suggested support with some decisions, but the capacity assessment needed reviewing. The home said after the inspection that it had applied for legal authorisation for this person and one other.
“The registered manager informed us that following this inspection they had applied for a deprivation of liberty authorisation for this person and one other.” from the report
- 01How do you now check that medicines are recorded and given safely using the electronic system?
- 02What have you done to make sure meals served in bedrooms are hot enough?
- 03How often does each resident see their key worker, and what happens if they spend most of their time in their room?
- 04How are mental capacity assessments reviewed when someone needs help with particular decisions?
- 05How are residents involved in choosing activities that match their interests and abilities?
This was an unannounced inspection covering all five CQC questions and the overall rating, based on observations, records and discussions with people, relatives, staff and managers. This explanation was written from the published report of 24 May 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.
Every inspection of Freda Gunton Lodge Residential Home
3 rated inspections over 5 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- February 2020Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
Read what inspectors found at Freda Gunton Lodge Residential Home →
- May 2017Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
Read what inspectors found at Freda Gunton Lodge Residential Home →
- May 2015GoodSafe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- March 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- September 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- March 2011
Report published without a new overall rating.
- December 2010
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 6 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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