CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Garden Lodge Care Home
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- Inspectors found enough staff, timely responses to call bells, appropriate risk reviews, safe recruitment and well-managed medicines. People they spoke with said they felt safe.
- Effective?
- Good
- People's needs and choices were assessed, and staff were trained and supervised. Inspectors noted mixed feedback about food and asked the manager to consult people further about menus and choices.
- Caring?
- Good
- People and relatives described staff as kind, friendly and caring. Inspectors observed warm interactions and found that privacy, dignity, independence and individual choices were promoted.
- Responsive?
- Good
- Care plans were personalised and reviewed regularly. People were supported with activities, relationships, communication needs, complaints and decisions about end-of-life care.
- Well-led?
- Good
- Inspectors found visible leadership, an open approach to feedback and a robust quality checking system. Staff said they felt able to approach managers with concerns or ideas.
What inspectors found, November 2022
Garden Lodge Care Home is rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised care, with some mixed views about food and care plan reviews.
This was an unannounced inspection carried out on 27 October and 1 November 2022. Inspectors visited the home, spoke with people living there, relatives and staff, and reviewed care records, medicine records, recruitment files and management information.
The home was rated Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Inspectors found enough staff, safe medicines systems, suitable risk checks and good infection control. People said they felt safe.
Inspectors saw warm and respectful care. Care plans were personalised, people were supported to make choices, and complaints were handled according to the home's procedure. There was some mixed feedback about food, and some relatives were unsure whether they had been involved in care plan reviews.
This was the first inspection under the new provider. The previous rating, published in August 2018 under the previous provider, was also Good.
People felt safe
Everyone inspectors spoke with said they felt safe. The home had systems for safeguarding, risk management, environmental checks, staffing and medicines.
“Everyone we spoke with said they felt safe living at the home.” from the report
Kind and respectful care
Staff were seen treating people warmly and with respect. The home had a friendly, homely atmosphere, and people's dignity and independence were supported.
“There was a warm, welcoming, friendly, homely atmosphere throughout the home.” from the report
Personalised support
Care plans recorded people's likes, choices and specific needs. Staff supported people to make decisions and take part in meaningful activities.
“People had personalised care plans in place to ensure their needs were met in the way they chose.” from the report
Visible management
The manager was well known and led by example. Inspectors found regular quality checks, action plans and a willingness to use feedback to improve.
“The home was subject to in depth checks and evaluation using a robust quality assurance framework.” from the report
Mixed views about food
minorMost people liked the food, but others did not. Inspectors fed this back, and the manager agreed to consult people further about menus and food choices.
“We received some mixed feedback regarding the food available at the home.” from the report
Some relatives were unsure about care plan reviews
needs fixingAlthough care records showed people's involvement, some relatives were not sure whether they had been involved in reviews. Inspectors asked the manager to improve communication if needed.
“Some relatives we spoke with told us they had been involved in care plan reviews, others were not sure.” from the report
- 01How will my relative and our family be involved in creating and reviewing their care plan?
- 02How do you collect and act on residents' views about menus and food choices?
- 03How will you make sure staffing levels remain sufficient if several people need help at the same time?
- 04How will you support my relative to continue their interests, relationships and preferred daily routines?
- 05How do you use incidents, complaints and quality checks to make improvements?
This was an unannounced inspection covering all five CQC key questions, including the care provided, the premises and infection prevention and control. This explanation was written from the published report of 18 November 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, March 2022
Inspected but not rated; inspectors found good infection control and visiting arrangements during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Inspectors visited the home on 9 February 2022. This was an announced, targeted inspection of infection prevention and control, including staffing pressures linked to COVID-19.
They were assured that the home was managing visitors, isolation, PPE, testing, cleaning and outbreaks safely. The home was clean and tidy, and staff were allocated to consistent areas to reduce cross-contamination.
The home was inspected but not rated. This was not a full inspection of all five areas of care, so the report does not provide an overall quality rating.
Visitor safety
The home had arrangements for visitors that included testing, temperature checks and PPE. It also provided window visits and dedicated areas for visits.
“The provider had arrangements for booking visitors at the home which included any visitor taking an LFT test, having their temperature checked and wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) when entering the care home.” from the report
Isolation support
People were supported to isolate near their own rooms where possible. Staff worked consistently in the same areas to reduce the risk of cross-contamination.
“Specific staff were allocated to support all their needs, and staff were consistently working in the same area of the home to avoid cross contamination.” from the report
Clean environment
Inspectors found PPE well stocked and cleaning products stored and used appropriately. They found the home clean and tidy.
“PPE was well stocked and organised, and cleaning products were stored and used appropriately. The home was clean and tidy.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How are you currently managing staffing pressures linked to illness or COVID-19?
- 02How would my relative be supported if they needed to isolate in their room?
- 03What are the current arrangements for visiting, including testing and PPE?
- 04How do you reduce the risk of infection spreading between different areas of the home?
- 05How do you keep your infection prevention and control policy up to date?
This was a targeted inspection of infection prevention and control and COVID-19-related staffing pressures; the home was inspected but not rated and the other care areas were not assessed. This explanation was written from the published report of 10 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.
Every inspection of Garden Lodge Care Home
3 rated inspections over 6 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- November 2022Goodcurrent ratingSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- March 2022Inspected but not ratedSafe: Inspected but not rated
- August 2018Goodstayed GoodSafe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- May 2016GoodSafe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- July 2021
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 19 July 2021.
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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