CQC report explained · a nursing home
What the CQC found at Latham Lodge Nursing and Residential Care Home
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- People were protected from abuse and avoidable harm. Risks, medicines, equipment, infection control and staffing were managed well, although inspectors found gaps in the employment histories of three staff members, which were fixed after the inspection.
- Effective?
- Good
- People’s needs were assessed and reviewed, and staff received training, supervision and support. People had access to suitable food, drinks and healthcare, and the home followed the principles of the Mental Capacity Act.
- Caring?
- Good
- Staff treated people with kindness, dignity and respect, and promoted independence, privacy and personal choice. However, feedback was mixed about whether people were always involved in decisions about their care.
- Responsive?
- Good
- The home provided personalised activities, communication support and bespoke end of life care. People and relatives knew how to complain, and the manager dealt with lower-level concerns promptly.
- Well-led?
- Good
- People, relatives and staff spoke positively about the management. Audits, action plans, feedback systems and partnership work were used to monitor quality and improve the service.
What inspectors found, November 2019
Latham Lodge Nursing and Residential Care Home was rated Good; inspectors found kind, safe care with some gaps in staff recruitment records and people’s involvement in care decisions.
This was an unannounced planned inspection over 17 and 18 June 2019. Inspectors spoke with eight people, four relatives and 15 staff. They reviewed care records, medicines records, staff files and quality records.
The home was rated Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Inspectors found enough staff, safe medicines systems, good training and healthcare support, respectful care, meaningful activities and strong management oversight.
There were some matters to improve. Three staff files had gaps in employment histories, although these were fixed after the inspection. Some people also said they were not always involved enough in their care assessments and reviews.
Kind and respectful care
Inspectors saw warm, compassionate interactions. Staff respected people’s privacy, dignity, equality and independence.
“We saw a warm and caring approach by staff with positive and kind interactions between staff and people.” from the report
End of life support
The home provided personalised end of life care for people and their families. Future wishes were discussed and recorded, with support from the local hospice.
“Latham Lodge offered bespoke care and support for people at end stage of life (EOL) and to their families.” from the report
Meaningful activities
Activities were based on people’s interests and were also taken to those cared for in their bedrooms. Inspectors saw individual social engagement and activities chosen by people.
“Staff identified what was important to people and endeavoured to provide meaningful experiences and lasting happy memories.” from the report
Strong management oversight
The management team was visible and approachable. Audits and action plans were used to identify issues and check that improvements were completed.
“There was a robust and extensive quality assurance system in place to monitor and improve the quality of the service.” from the report
Staff training and support
New staff received induction and worked with trained colleagues. Training was refreshed, and staff received regular supervision and appraisals.
“All new staff received a range of face to face training to help ensure they had the necessary knowledge and skills to do their jobs.” from the report
Involvement in care decisions
minorAlthough there was evidence that people and relatives were involved in assessments, some people did not feel involved enough in their care assessments and reviews.
“However, people did not always feel involved in the assessments and reviews.” from the report
Building maintenance
minorThe home was an older building that needed regular maintenance. A programme of bedroom decoration and updates was under way, one room at a time.
“The service was an older building that required regular maintenance.” from the report
- 01How do you make sure each person is involved in their care assessments and reviews?
- 02How do you check employment histories for new staff before they start work?
- 03What work remains in the bedroom decoration and maintenance programme?
- 04How are activities adapted for people who spend much of their time in their bedrooms?
- 05How would you involve our family in end of life care planning and future wishes?
This was a planned, unannounced-on-the-first-day inspection covering all five CQC questions, and the previous Good ratings from December 2016 were reviewed. This explanation was written from the published report of 19 November 2019 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, December 2016
Latham Lodge Nursing and Residential Care Home was rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised care, with a call bell issue addressed after the visit.
Inspectors made an unannounced visit on 7 and 9 September 2016. They spoke with people living at the home, relatives, staff and a community professional. They also observed care and checked care records, medicines, staffing, training, recruitment, complaints and quality checks.
All five areas were rated Good: safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led. Inspectors found enough trained staff, safe medicines arrangements, suitable risk assessments and good access to health professionals. People were treated with dignity and involved in decisions about their care.
People generally said the home responded well to their needs. Some people raised concerns about call bell response times during busy periods because the old system was difficult for staff to hear. The home told inspectors that a new system had been installed after the inspection visit.
Safe medicines
Medicines were ordered, stored, administered and disposed of through detailed systems. Inspectors found that records were complete and checks were carried out.
“There were no gaps in the medicine administration records (MAR), which were signed after each medicine was successfully dispensed.” from the report
Trained staff
Staff received induction, ongoing training, supervision and appraisals. New staff shadowed experienced workers and were supported through a buddy system.
“New staff completed an induction that included shadowing experienced staff on a supernumerary basis.” from the report
Kind and respectful care
Inspectors saw staff being kind, caring and friendly. People’s privacy, dignity, choices and preferred names were respected.
“We observed that staff were kind, caring and friendly in their approaches to people's care.” from the report
Personalised support
Care plans included people’s routines, communication needs, preferences and health needs. Activities included group and one-to-one options.
“A personalised approach to responding to people's needs was evident in the service.” from the report
Call bell response times
needs fixingSome people were concerned that call bells could take longer to answer during busy periods. The old system was difficult for staff to hear, but a new system had been installed after the inspection visit.
“Some people expressed concern about staff response times to the call bell during busy periods, such as mealtimes.” from the report
- 01How is the new call bell system working, and what are the current response times during busy periods?
- 02What staffing levels are in place on each shift, especially at night, and how often are they reviewed?
- 03How are medicines audits and competency checks carried out now?
- 04How will my relative and our family be involved in creating and reviewing their care plan?
- 05How will activities be chosen to match my relative’s interests, abilities and communication needs?
This was a comprehensive inspection covering all five CQC questions and the overall quality of the home. This explanation was written from the published report of 7 December 2016 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 Latham Lodge Nursing and Residential Care Home
2 rated inspections over 3 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- November 2019Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
Read what inspectors found at Latham Lodge Nursing and Residential Care Home →
- December 2016GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
Read what inspectors found at Latham Lodge Nursing and Residential Care Home →
- October 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- March 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- October 2011
Report published without a new overall rating.
- December 2010
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 10 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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