CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Lake View
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
What inspectors found, August 2023
Lake View rated Good; inspectors found safe, caring support and improving leadership, while some parts of the building still needed updating.
This was an unannounced inspection on the first day and an announced visit on the second. Inspectors spoke with people living at the home, relatives, staff, the manager and the director. They also observed care and checked care, medicines, recruitment, safety and management records.
The home was rated Good for Safe and Well-led. People appeared relaxed and said they felt well looked after. Relatives praised the staff, care, food and cleanliness. Inspectors found enough staff, safe medicines practice, suitable recruitment checks and systems for managing health risks and incidents.
The inspection followed concerns about staffing and the environment. A new manager had recruited staff, changed roles and was making improvements to the building. Some areas still looked tired, and there were plans to make the garden safer and easier to use.
This was a focused inspection of Safe and Well-led only. The overall Good rating remained in place, and both inspected areas stayed Good compared with the previous inspection.
People felt safe
People appeared comfortable with staff and each other. Relatives said staff were friendly, caring and respectful.
“People looked relaxed and at ease with staff and each other.” from the report
Safe care and medicines
Care needs and risks were reviewed. Medicines were given as prescribed, and staff who administered them were trained and checked.
“Medicine administration records showed people received their medicines in the way prescribed for them.” from the report
Enough suitable staff
Inspectors found there were enough staff to meet people's needs. Recruitment checks were completed, and the home had recruited more staff to work directly with people.
“There were sufficient staff to meet people's care needs.” from the report
Improving leadership
The new manager and director were making changes, using audits and speaking with people and relatives about their experience.
“The home was well run.” from the report
Cleaner environment
People and visitors noticed improvements to cleanliness and decoration. Rooms were cleaned regularly.
“The place as a whole is cleaner and brighter.” from the report
Some areas needed updating
needs fixingInspectors found that some parts of the home still looked tired. Decorating and other environmental work were underway, with further improvements planned.
“Decorating was underway around the home as some areas looked tired in appearance, which included some carpets and furniture.” from the report
More activities may be needed
minorPeople welcomed the new activities worker, but some people said they would like more to do.
“People were positive about the impact of the new activities person who worked four days a week as some people said they would like more to do.” from the report
- 01What environmental work has been completed since the inspection, including the carpets, furniture and areas that looked tired?
- 02Has the garden been made secure and more accessible, and can we see it?
- 03What activities are now available each week, and how do you respond when people want more to do?
- 04How do you decide how many staff are needed on each shift?
- 05How will you keep families updated when a person's health changes?
This was a focused inspection of Safe and Well-led only, prompted by concerns about staffing and the environment; the other key-question ratings were not reviewed during this visit. This explanation was written from the published report of 12 August 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, July 2022
Lake View was rated Good; inspectors found safe, caring support and good management, with some questions about staffing and activities.
This was an unannounced inspection on 10 June 2022. One inspector spoke with people living at the home, observed care and reviewed care records, medicines, staff files, complaints, accidents and quality checks. Ten relatives also gave positive feedback.
The home was rated Good overall. Safe and Well-led were both rated Good. Inspectors found that people were protected from abuse, received medicines safely and on time, and had risks to their health reviewed. The home was clean and infection control arrangements were in place.
The inspection focused on Safe and Well-led. The other three areas were not given new ratings in this report. The previous overall rating, published in January 2020, was also Good.
Safe care
Staff understood safeguarding duties, assessed risks and responded to changes in people's health. Inspectors found that people were protected from avoidable harm.
“People were protected from abuse because staff understood their safeguarding responsibilities.” from the report
Medicines
Medicines were given as prescribed. Records, stock checks, staff training and competency checks were all reviewed.
“Medicines were well managed, including those requiring extra security.” from the report
Infection control
The home was clean and staff used protective equipment safely. Inspectors found arrangements for preventing and managing outbreaks.
“We were assured that the provider was using PPE effectively and safely.” from the report
Management and teamwork
Inspectors found clear roles, supportive teamwork and systems for checking quality and acting on feedback.
“There was a range of effective quality monitoring and governance systems embedded in the service.” from the report
Staffing capacity
needs fixingSome staff were unsure whether staffing levels were always enough when people needed two staff to move them. The manager said occupancy was being kept lower to reflect staffing levels.
“Some staff queried whether the staffing levels were appropriate because some people needed two members of staff to move them and so could potentially take them away from supporting others.” from the report
Activities
minorSome staff felt people would benefit from more social activities. The manager said more entertainment could be arranged as restrictions were lifted.
“Some staff said they would like more social activities for people.” from the report
- 01How do you make sure there are enough staff when someone needs two staff members to move safely?
- 02What activities are currently available, and how do you adapt them to each person's interests and abilities?
- 03How are medicines checked now, including medicines needing extra security?
- 04How would you keep relatives informed if a person's health changed or an incident occurred?
- 05What improvements have been made to the home and its décor since the inspection?
This was a focused inspection of Safe and Well-led, including infection control under Safe; the other three ratings were not reassessed in this report. This explanation was written from the published report of 16 July 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 Lake View
7 rated inspections over 8 years: the service has improved, from Requires improvement to Good.
- August 2023Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- July 2022Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodWell-led: Good
- February 2020Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodWell-led: Good
- April 2018Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodWell-led: Good
- October 2016Goodstayed GoodSafe: Good
- December 2015Goodup from Requires improvementSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Good
- April 2015Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- August 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- February 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- January 2011
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 19 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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17 live-in carers within about an hour of Devon
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 £1,270 a week. 15 can care for a couple. 13 years' experience on average.
“She is such a warm and gentle person while being professional and competent at the same time.”
“She looked after my mum, who can be incredibly challenging, so well and so gently, and we always felt confident that my mum was getting the best care available.”
Every carer has had an enhanced DBS check in the last 18 months, ID and right-to-work checks and an online interview. Their skills and training are for you to check with them. Carers set their own rates, and who is free changes week to week.