CQC report explained · a nursing home
What the CQC found at Lavender Fields - Care Home with Nursing
Rated Requires improvement: inspectors found the home was not performing as well as it should and told it what to change.
- Safe?
- Good
- People were protected from abuse and avoidable harm. Medicines, recruitment, incident reporting and infection control were managed safely, although some risk assessments needed clearer information.
- Effective?
- Requires improvement
- Care plans included conflicting or outdated information, and people were not always supported to build independence or take part in activities. Staff also said they needed more training in communication, learning disability and autism.
- Caring?
- Good
- This key question was not included in the focused inspection.
- Responsive?
- Good
- This key question was not included in the focused inspection.
- Well-led?
- Requires improvement
- The home had management and audit systems, but actions were not always recorded or checked to completion. The manager also did not initially have knowledge of the guidance used for supporting people with learning disabilities and autism.
What inspectors found, March 2022
Rated Requires Improvement; inspectors found people were safe, but care did not always support independence and governance was not reliable.
This was an unannounced focused inspection on 10 and 14 February 2022. One inspector spoke with people, relatives, staff and a professional. They observed care and checked care plans, medicines, staff records and management records.
The home was rated Good for Safe. People felt safe, medicines were managed safely, recruitment checks were completed and infection control arrangements were effective.
Effective and Well-led were rated Requires Improvement. Care plans contained conflicting or outdated information, people did not always have enough opportunities to build independence, and staff said they needed more training in learning disability and autism.
The home was rated Good at the previous inspection, published in November 2018. CQC found breaches of person-centred care and good governance and asked the provider for an action plan.
People felt safe
People and relatives said staff kept people safe and responded when help was needed. Staff understood how to recognise and report abuse.
“People felt safe where they were living and if they needed help staff were responsive.” from the report
Medicines were managed safely
Staff followed systems for administering, recording and storing medicines. Medicines for anxiety were reviewed with health professionals.
“People were supported by staff who followed systems and processes to administer, record and store medicines safely.” from the report
Infection control
The home had effective measures for cleanliness, protective equipment, testing, visits and managing possible outbreaks.
“The service used effective infection, prevention and control measures to keep people safe, and staff supported people to follow them.” from the report
Kind and approachable staff
People said staff were kind. Staff felt supported by senior staff and able to raise concerns without fear.
“People felt the staff that supported them were kind.” from the report
Limited independence and activities
seriousPeople were not always given enough time or support to take part in everyday tasks, go out or build independence. This was a breach of Regulation 9.
“People were not always provided with opportunities to build their independence.” from the report
Weak improvement monitoring
seriousThe home had audits and governance systems, but actions were not always documented or checked to make sure improvements happened. This was a breach of Regulation 17.
“Governance systems were not effective and did not clearly address what improvements needed to improve the support people were receiving.” from the report
Staff training gaps
needs fixingStaff had training for their roles but said they needed more training in communication, learning disability and autism.
“Staff said they would benefit from further training in communication and skills in learning disability, autism.” from the report
- 01What has changed to give people more time for activities, community access and everyday tasks that build independence?
- 02How do you make sure care plans are reviewed and do not contain conflicting or outdated instructions?
- 03What additional training have staff received in communication, learning disability and autism?
- 04How do you check that staff follow guidance for people at risk of choking?
- 05How are actions from audits and improvement plans recorded, monitored and confirmed as complete?
This was a focused inspection of Safe, Effective and Well-led, including infection prevention and control; Caring and Responsive were not inspected and were not rated in this report. This explanation was written from the published report of 26 March 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.
What inspectors found, November 2018
Lavender Fields - Care Home with Nursing is rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised care across all five areas.
The unannounced inspection took place on 25 October 2018. One inspector observed care, spoke with five people and five staff, and spoke with managers and two relatives. The inspector also reviewed care plans, staff files, quality checks and other records.
The home was rated Good in every area: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Inspectors found enough trained staff, good risk assessments, safe medicines support and effective infection control. Staff understood people's communication needs, choices and care preferences.
People were treated with kindness and respect. They were involved in care reviews, activities and daily decisions, and were supported to maintain relationships and interests. Managers used audits, surveys and other checks to monitor the service.
The home was also rated Good at the previous inspection on 25 November 2015. This inspection found that the rating remained appropriate, with no evidence of serious risks or concerns.
Enough trained staff
Inspectors found enough staff to meet people's needs. Staff had relevant training, regular supervision and support from a qualified nurse on each shift.
“There were enough staff to meet people's needs.” from the report
Kind and respectful care
People and relatives described care as kind and compassionate. Inspectors saw staff respecting privacy, dignity and people's independence.
“Staff interaction was kind, caring and supportive.” from the report
Activities and community life
People were supported to follow their interests, access the community and maintain relationships. Examples included singing groups, wrestling events, college and hockey activities.
“We found people were supported to access the community and develop interests.” from the report
Quality monitoring
Managers used audits and quality checks covering areas such as care plans, medicines and infection control. Actions were monitored when issues were identified.
“There were systems to monitor the quality of the service.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How will you assess and support my relative's particular communication needs?
- 02What nursing support is available on each shift, and how will you respond if my relative's health needs change?
- 03How are medicines checked for my relative, and how would you tell us about any error or concern?
- 04What activities and community opportunities would be available for my relative based on their interests?
- 05How would end of life care be planned if my relative needed it?
This was an unannounced inspection covering all five CQC questions, based on observations, discussions with people, staff, managers and relatives, and reviews of care and quality records. This explanation was written from the published report of 16 November 2018 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 Lavender Fields - Care Home with Nursing
3 rated inspections over 6 years: the service has slipped, from Good to Requires improvement.
- March 2022Requires improvementcurrent ratingdown from GoodSafe: GoodEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
Read what inspectors found at Lavender Fields - Care Home with Nursing →
- November 2018Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodWell-led: Good
Read what inspectors found at Lavender Fields - Care Home with Nursing →
- December 2015GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- September 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- May 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- January 2011
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 12 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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At least 100 live-in carers within about an hour of Hertfordshire
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 £980 to £1,300 a week. 82 can care for a couple. 12 years' experience on average.
“She handled the new situation in front of her with such professionalism and I felt I could trust her 100%.”
“She was v competent and confident and we felt our mum was safe in her care. She supported us through a difficult time.”
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.