CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Gate Lodge
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- People were protected from abuse and avoidable harm. Inspectors found suitable risk assessments, enough staff, safe medicine systems and effective infection prevention arrangements.
- Effective?
- Good
- People's needs were assessed with their involvement and that of relatives and health professionals. Staff were trained, food and drink needs were monitored, and healthcare was well coordinated.
- Caring?
- Good
- Staff knew people well and treated them with kindness, dignity and respect. People were supported to communicate, make choices and remain as independent as possible.
- Responsive?
- Good
- Care plans recorded people's preferences and important relationships. People had varied activities, support to maintain family contact, accessible information and a complaints process.
- Well-led?
- Good
- The home had regular audits, feedback systems, staff meetings and action plans for improvement. A new manager was in the process of registering with CQC, and the provider remained legally responsible for how the home was run.
What inspectors found, June 2023
Gate Lodge was rated Good overall, with kind, personalised care and effective safety systems.
Inspectors visited on 11 and 16 May 2023. They spoke with six people living at the home, six relatives, staff, health professionals and managers. They also checked care records, risk assessments, medicines, staff files, training and quality audits.
All five areas were rated Good: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Inspectors found enough staff, safe medicines arrangements, suitable training, good healthcare links and care that reflected people's preferences.
The home supported older adults living with dementia. Inspectors saw people treated kindly and respectfully, with activities, food choices and communication adapted to their needs. The overall Good rating was unchanged from the previous inspection, published in February 2020.
Kind and personalised care
Inspectors saw calm, friendly and kind interactions. Staff knew people's preferences and communication needs well.
“People were supported by staff in a kind and caring way.” from the report
Safe medicines
Medicines were stored correctly, records were checked weekly and staff had regular training and competency assessments.
“The manager ensured accurate records of medicines were kept and records confirmed this.” from the report
Good healthcare support
The home worked closely with GPs, nurses, dentists, therapists and other professionals. Relatives were kept informed about health changes.
“Community healthcare professionals said communications with staff about people in the home were excellent” from the report
Activities and family contact
People were supported to follow their interests and maintain important relationships. Activities were based on people's wishes and could be done at their own pace.
“The range of activities is exceptional. People are supported at their own pace, if they don't feel like it then that's fine too.” from the report
Quality monitoring
The home used audits, meetings and feedback from people, relatives, staff and professionals to identify and make improvements.
“There were effective processes in place to monitor the quality of the service and to make any improvements highlighted.” from the report
Manager registration
minorThere was no registered manager in post when inspectors visited. A new manager was applying to register, while the provider remained legally responsible for the service.
“At the time of our inspection there was not a registered manager in post.” from the report
- 01How is the new manager's CQC registration progressing?
- 02How will you involve my relative and our family in care plan reviews and decisions?
- 03How do you record and review medicines, including medicines prescribed to be used as needed?
- 04What activities are available for my relative, and how are their interests and communication needs reflected?
- 05How will you keep us informed if my relative becomes unwell or needs hospital, GP or nursing care?
This was a comprehensive inspection covering all five key questions, with additional checks on infection prevention and control; all five ratings were reviewed and remained Good. This explanation was written from the published report of 29 June 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, February 2020
Rated Good; inspectors found kind, safe and personalised care, with clear improvements since the previous inspection.
Inspectors visited the home without warning on 6 and 8 January 2020. They spoke with people living there, relatives, staff, managers and health and social care professionals. They also reviewed care records, staff files and other management records.
All five areas were rated Good: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. People told inspectors they felt safe and that staff were kind. Inspectors found the home clean, medicines managed safely, risks assessed and enough suitable staff available.
The home had improved since its previous inspection, which was rated Requires Improvement and found a breach of Regulation 12. Cleaning, safety checks, window restrictors, medicines management and quality monitoring had improved. The home was no longer in breach of regulations at this inspection.
Clean and safer environment
Inspectors found the home clean and fresh. New cleaning arrangements, flooring, decorations and window restrictors had addressed problems found previously.
“The environment was clean and fresh throughout the home.” from the report
Safe medicines management
Medicines were stored, given and recorded appropriately. Inspectors found no unexplained gaps in medicines records, and stored medicines matched the records.
“Medicines administration records [MARs] were completed as required. There were no unexplained gaps in the records.” from the report
Kind and respectful care
People and relatives spoke positively about staff. Inspectors saw staff spending time with people, listening to them and supporting their choices.
“We observed staff treated people with kindness through the inspection, spending much time sitting and talking with them” from the report
Personalised support
Care plans included people's needs, preferences, communication methods and important relationships. Staff were able to describe how individuals liked to be supported.
“People had holistic and individualised care plans in place based on their needs and risk assessments, agreed by the person and their relatives.” from the report
Improved management checks
The provider and registered manager had widened and strengthened their audits. They used feedback and action plans to make improvements.
“At this inspection significant improvements had been made.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01The previous inspection found problems with cleanliness and safety. How do you now check that cleaning, maintenance and window restrictors remain effective?
- 02How are medicines stored, checked and recorded, and how would you support my relative if they need creams or other medicines in their room?
- 03How would you assess and review my relative's risks, including falls, health needs and emergency evacuation?
- 04What activities would be available for my relative, and how would you adapt them to their interests, communication needs and abilities?
- 05How would you involve me and my relative in care planning, reviews, complaints and decisions where my relative may lack capacity?
This was an unannounced planned inspection based on the previous rating and covered all five CQC questions, including the premises and care provided. This explanation was written from the published report of 26 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.
Every inspection of Gate Lodge
6 rated inspections over 8 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- June 2023Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- February 2020Goodup from Requires improvementSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- January 2019Requires improvementdown from GoodSafe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- January 2017Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- June 2016Goodstayed GoodSafe: Requires improvement
- January 2015GoodSafe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- May 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- September 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- May 2011
Report published without a new overall rating.
- December 2010
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 22 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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