CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Hope Lodge
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- People were protected from abuse and avoidable harm, with risk assessments, safe staffing, medicines checks and infection control arrangements in place. Fire drills had paused briefly after renovation, personal emergency evacuation plans were missing, and medication for disposal was not always stored correctly, but the provider said these issues were rectified immediately.
- Effective?
- Good
- Care plans were based on detailed assessments and reflected people's needs, choices and risks. Staff were trained and supported, and worked with health professionals to support physical and mental health.
- Caring?
- Good
- People were treated with kindness, dignity and respect. They were involved in decisions, supported to stay in contact with family and friends, and encouraged to maintain independence.
- Responsive?
- Good
- Care was personalised and plans were reviewed when people's needs changed. People were supported with communication, activities, relationships and community involvement, and complaints were used to improve care.
- Well-led?
- Good
- Inspectors found an open, supportive management culture and systems for checking quality and addressing shortfalls. Staff, people and professionals gave positive feedback about the leadership and partnership working.
What inspectors found, November 2023
Hope Lodge is rated Good; inspectors found kind, person-centred care, with short-term fire safety and medicines storage issues addressed during the inspection.
This was an unannounced inspection on 6 September 2023. Inspectors spoke with all three people living there, two relatives, staff, managers and external professionals. They reviewed care plans, staff files, training records, daily records and quality checks.
The home was rated Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. People were described as safe, respected and involved in their care. Staff knew people's needs and supported health care, activities, family contact and community involvement.
Inspectors found that fire drills had paused briefly after renovation and personal emergency evacuation plans were not in place. Medication needing disposal was also not always stored and packaged correctly. The provider said these issues were fixed immediately.
The overall Good rating was maintained from the previous inspection, published in March 2018. The inspection was partly prompted by concerns about risk management, but inspectors found no evidence that people were at risk of harm from that concern.
Kind and respectful care
People were treated with compassion and their privacy, dignity, equality and independence were respected.
“People were well treated and felt respected.” from the report
Personalised support
Care plans reflected people's preferences, wishes, health needs and goals. People were involved in decisions about their care.
“People received personalised care which intended to maximise their choice and control.” from the report
Good staffing and training
There were enough staff, recruitment checks were completed, and staff received relevant training, induction and supervision.
“The service ensured that there were enough staff on duty to ensure people's needs were met.” from the report
Activities and community links
People were supported to take part in activities such as volunteering, gardening, walks and cinema trips, as well as keeping in touch with family and friends.
“The service organised daily walks to the park and trips to the cinema as well as alternatives in the service for a rainy day.” from the report
Supportive leadership
Inspectors found a positive culture, accessible managers and quality checks that helped identify and address improvements.
“A positive, person-centred and empowering culture was embedded.” from the report
Fire safety records and drills
needs fixingFire drills had paused for a short period after renovation, and personal emergency evacuation plans were not in place when inspectors visited. The provider said these issues were fixed immediately.
“We also found that Personal Emergency Evacuation plans were not in place.” from the report
Medication awaiting disposal
needs fixingMedication that needed to be disposed of was not always stored and packaged appropriately. The provider said action was taken to improve this practice.
“We found medication that needed to be disposed was not always stored and packaged appropriately.” from the report
- 01Have fire drills restarted, and when were the most recent drills completed?
- 02Are personal emergency evacuation plans now in place and reviewed for each person?
- 03How are medicines awaiting disposal stored and packaged now?
- 04How often are medication audits completed, and what action is taken if counting errors are found?
- 05How will you show that the Good rating has been maintained since the September 2023 inspection?
This was an unannounced inspection covering all five rating areas, including the premises and care, and it was partly prompted by concerns about risk management. This explanation was written from the published report of 30 November 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 2022
Inspected but not rated; inspectors found good infection control, but visiting guidance was not always followed.
This was an announced, targeted inspection on 2 February 2022. It focused on infection prevention and control during the COVID-19 pandemic, and asked about staffing pressures.
Inspectors found the home was clean and tidy. Staff had infection control training, used protective equipment, carried out testing and followed measures to reduce the spread of infection. Relatives were positive about how the pandemic was managed.
The home did not always follow the latest government guidance on visits. A staff member also did not initially check the inspectors' vaccination status. The service was inspected but not rated, so this report does not give an overall quality rating.
Infection control training
Staff had been trained and understood how to reduce the spread of infection.
“Staff had attended infection prevention and control [IPC] training and knew how to reduce the risk of spreading infections.” from the report
Protective measures
Inspectors were assured that the home used PPE safely, provided testing and had measures to prevent and manage outbreaks.
“We were assured that the provider was using PPE effectively and safely.” from the report
Checks and improvements
The home carried out regular audits to identify gaps and reduce the risk of cross-infection.
“Regular audits were undertaken to ensure any gaps were identified and actions taken to mitigate the risk of cross infections.” from the report
Communication
The home worked with local healthcare professionals to share infection control information. Relatives were positive about its pandemic arrangements.
“Relatives were positive about the way the service managed the impact of the pandemic.” from the report
Visiting guidance
needs fixingThe home did not always follow the latest government guidance on visiting care homes.
“The provider did not always follow the latest government guidance on visiting care homes.” from the report
Visitor vaccination checks
needs fixingA staff member initially assumed that CQC inspectors did not need their vaccination status checked. The provider said it would remind staff of the requirement.
“However, on our visit a member of staff at the service assumed that CQC staff were already vaccinated and did not need to be checked for vaccination status.” from the report
- 01How do you now make sure all visitors are checked in line with the latest government guidance?
- 02How do you check the vaccination status or exemption status of staff and visiting professionals?
- 03What infection control audits have been carried out since this inspection, and what actions resulted?
- 04How would you manage a COVID-19 outbreak or staffing pressure now?
- 05How are visits arranged if relatives cannot visit in person?
This was a targeted inspection of infection prevention and control and staffing pressures; it was not a full inspection and the service was inspected but not rated. This explanation was written from the published report of 16 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.
Every inspection of Hope Lodge
3 rated inspections over 8 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- November 2023Goodcurrent ratingSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- February 2022Inspected but not ratedSafe: Inspected but not rated
- March 2018Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- December 2015GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- December 2014
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 18 December 2014.
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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