CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Grovelands Lodge
Rated Requires improvement: inspectors found the home was not performing as well as it should and told it what to change.
What inspectors found, December 2023
Rated Requires Improvement; inspectors found kind, consistent care, but risks and management oversight were not robust enough.
The inspection was unannounced and took place on 6 November 2023. One inspector spoke with all four people living in the home, staff, family members and professionals. They also checked care, medicines, recruitment and quality records.
People generally said they were happy, safe and well cared for. Staff were described as kind and respectful. People received their medicines, food and healthcare support, and were helped to stay independent and maintain relationships.
However, some risk assessments and care records were not detailed or easy to follow. Personal emergency evacuation plans were missing, and night-time fire drills had not been completed. Policies were out of date and the provider's checks on quality and safety were not strong enough.
The overall rating changed from Good at the previous inspection, published in 2017, to Requires Improvement. The home breached regulations about safe care and treatment and good governance. CQC will ask for an action plan and continue to monitor progress.
Kind and respectful care
People and families spoke positively about the care. Inspectors saw warm, respectful relationships between staff and people.
“We observed warm interactions between staff and people, chatting and laughing.” from the report
Consistent staffing
The provider said there were enough staff, and people were supported by familiar staff rather than agency workers. Recruitment checks were in place.
“This meant people were supported consistently by the same staff.” from the report
Medicines managed safely
Staff were trained and checked as competent to give medicines. Records were checked daily and monthly, and no medicine errors had been found.
“There had not been any medicine errors.” from the report
Choice and independence
People helped with meals, followed their own interests and took part in activities inside the home and in the community.
“People were supported to maintain relationships, follow their interests and take part in activities relevant to them.” from the report
Fire and risk planning
seriousRisk information was not always detailed or easy to find. Personal emergency evacuation plans were missing, and there had been no night-time fire drills.
“There were no personal emergency evacuation plans in place to identify what support people may need in the event of a fire.” from the report
Weak management checks
seriousThe provider did not have strong enough systems to monitor quality, safety and care records. This was a breach of regulation 17.
“The provider did not have sufficient oversight of quality assurance systems to support the effective running of the service.” from the report
Care plans not always person-centred
needs fixingSome plans did not clearly describe people's wishes, needs and risks. This could make it harder for new staff to provide the right support.
“Care plans lacked a person-centred focus and an over reliance on staff knowledge of how people preferred to be supported.” from the report
End of life wishes not discussed
needs fixingPeople's preferences for end of life care had not been discussed. No one was receiving end of life care at the time.
“People's wishes and preferences about how they would want to be cared for at the end of their life had not been discussed with them.” from the report
- 01Have personal emergency evacuation plans now been completed for every person, and when was the last fire drill carried out at night?
- 02How have risk assessments for choking, personal care and other health needs been rewritten and made easy for staff to find?
- 03Which care plans have been updated to describe each person's wishes, preferences and risks in their own terms?
- 04Have the home's policies and quality checks been updated, and how is the provider checking that improvements are completed?
- 05How will people's wishes about end of life care be discussed and recorded?
This unannounced inspection looked at all five CQC questions, including care, the premises, medicines, staffing, records and management systems. This explanation was written from the published report of 21 December 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, November 2020
Inspected but not rated; inspectors found that Grovelands Lodge was following infection control practices safely.
This was an announced inspection on 27 October 2020. It was part of a national review of infection prevention and control in care homes during the coronavirus pandemic.
Inspectors found good practice. The home followed government and Department of Health guidance, provided staff with training and protective equipment, increased cleaning, and changed the layout to support social distancing and frequent cleaning.
The home supported people to go into the community safely and arranged visits where appropriate. The inspection looked at infection prevention and control, but the service was not given an overall rating or a Safe rating.
Infection control
Inspectors were assured that the home had arrangements to prevent and manage infections, including an up-to-date infection prevention and control policy.
“We were assured that the provider's infection prevention and control policy was up to date.” from the report
Staff training and protective equipment
Staff had been given training and protective equipment to help keep people safe.
“Staff have been provided with the appropriate training and PPE to keep them and people safe.” from the report
Safer environment
The home had changed its layout and flooring to support social distancing and more frequent cleaning.
“the service had been adapted to allow for social distancing, and flooring had been changed to allow for frequent cleaning.” from the report
Safe community access and visits
People were supported to access the community safely, and visits were supported where appropriate.
“People had been supported to access the community safely with the use of face coverings and hand sanitisers provided.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How are you currently preventing visitors from catching and spreading infections?
- 02How do you currently arrange visits safely?
- 03How are people supported to access the community safely?
- 04How often are cleaning routines and infection control policies reviewed?
- 05What ratings or inspection information cover care areas that this review did not assess?
This was an announced thematic review focused on infection prevention and control, and the service was inspected but not rated; the report does not assess the other care quality questions. This explanation was written from the published report of 14 November 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 Grovelands Lodge
3 rated inspections over 8 years: the service has slipped, from Good to Requires improvement.
- December 2023Requires improvementcurrent ratingSafe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- November 2020Inspected but not ratedSafe: Inspected but not rated
- October 2017Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- August 2015GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- July 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- January 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- June 2011
Report published without a new overall rating.
- January 2011
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 14 January 2011.
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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35 live-in carers within about an hour of Essex
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 £1,020 to £1,260 a week. 25 can care for a couple. 10 years' experience on average.
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