CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Lenore Care Home
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- People were protected from avoidable harm, and risks, safeguarding, staffing and medicines were managed well. Inspectors were only somewhat assured that shielding and social distancing rules could always be met because of the building's layout.
- Effective?
- Good
- Care plans were detailed and up to date, staff were trained and supported, and people received help with eating, drinking and healthcare. The home worked well with other agencies and followed the Mental Capacity Act principles.
- Caring?
- Good
- People said staff were kind, respectful and supportive. Staff encouraged independence, helped people make choices and supported important relationships.
- Responsive?
- Good
- Care was personalised and people were involved in their care plans. Staff supported relationships and visits, responded to complaints, and adapted communication to people's needs.
- Well-led?
- Good
- The home had effective audits, open communication and positive relationships with health and social care professionals. The registered manager needed to improve systems and knowledge so all incidents requiring CQC notification were reported.
What inspectors found, May 2022
Rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised care, with some improvement still needed in infection control arrangements and reporting incidents to CQC.
The inspection was unannounced and took place on 5 April 2022. One inspector and an Expert by Experience spoke with eight people, three relatives and six staff. They observed care, checked records and spoke with health and social care professionals.
The home was rated Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Inspectors found that people felt safe and at home, medicines were managed safely, staff were trained, and care plans were detailed and personalised.
The home was clean and safe, although its layout made social distancing difficult at times. Activities had reduced during the pandemic. The registered manager also needed to improve their knowledge of which incidents must be reported to CQC. This was the first inspection since the service registered in 2019.
Safe medicines
Medicines were stored, recorded and administered safely. Staff competence was checked regularly, and audits helped identify and reduce errors.
“Medicine Administration Records (MAR) were accurate and up to date.” from the report
Personalised care
Care plans reflected what mattered to people and gave staff clear information about how to support them. People were involved in writing and reviewing their plans.
“Care plans were detailed and written from a person-centred perspective.” from the report
Kind and respectful staff
People and relatives described staff as supportive and respectful. Inspectors saw staff helping people make choices and maintain their independence.
“People consistently felt supported and respected as individuals.” from the report
Good outside support
The home worked well with health and social care professionals. Professionals said staff listened to advice and acted on it.
“External professionals confirmed staff communicated with them well and sought (and acted on) advice.” from the report
Incident reporting
needs fixingThe registered manager's knowledge of which incidents must be reported to CQC needed improvement. Inspectors made a recommendation to review the guidance and strengthen the reporting system.
“The registered manager's knowledge of all incidents they needed to report to CQC needed improvement.” from the report
Social distancing and shared space
minorThe building's layout made shielding and social distancing difficult at times. The home was planning more communal space, and the games room was small and under-used.
“We were somewhat assured that the provider was meeting shielding and social distancing rules.” from the report
- 01What systems are now in place to make sure every incident that must be reported to CQC is notified?
- 02How do you manage shielding and social distancing when the building's corridors and shared areas are narrow?
- 03What progress has been made with the planned extension and additional communal space?
- 04How are activities and community visits being planned now that pandemic restrictions have reduced?
- 05How will you help people develop cooking skills while the kitchen space remains small?
This was an unannounced first inspection covering all five CQC questions and infection prevention and control; the report says the service had been registered since 24 May 2019. This explanation was written from the published report of 5 May 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, March 2021
Inspected but not rated; inspectors found strong infection control arrangements during a targeted coronavirus review.
Inspectors visited on 1 March 2021. The visit was announced and focused only on infection prevention and control during the coronavirus pandemic.
They found good arrangements for visitors, including temperature checks, questions before entry, personal protective equipment, handwashing facilities and clear signs. Staff used a separate entrance to help with distancing and putting on and removing protective equipment safely.
The home was assured on visitor safety, shielding and distancing, safe admissions, protective equipment, testing, hygiene, outbreak management and its infection control policy. The service was inspected but not rated, so this report does not give a full quality rating.
Visitor safety
Visitors had checks before entering, with protective equipment, handwashing facilities and signs available.
“All visitors had to undergo a temperature check and answer a range of relevant questions before entry.” from the report
Protective equipment
There was enough protective equipment and suitable facilities for handwashing.
“There was ample PPE, handwashing facilities and signage.” from the report
Safer staff entrance
Staff used a separate entrance to support social distancing and safe use of protective equipment.
“Staff used a separate entrance to enable social distancing and safe donning/doffing of PPE.” from the report
Continuity of care
The service had not used agency staff and aimed to give people consistent care during the pandemic.
“The service had not used agency staff and ensured people received a continuity of care.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How are visitors currently checked before entry, and are temperature checks and screening questions still used?
- 02How do you make sure staff use protective equipment safely, including when putting it on and taking it off?
- 03How often are people using the service and staff tested for infection?
- 04What is the current plan for preventing and managing an infection outbreak?
- 05How do you maintain continuity of care if regular staff are unavailable?
This was a targeted inspection of infection prevention and control during the coronavirus pandemic; the service was inspected but not rated and other areas were not fully assessed. This explanation was written from the published report of 13 March 2021 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 Lenore Care Home
2 rated inspections over 5 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- May 2022Goodcurrent ratingSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- March 2021Inspected but not ratedSafe: Inspected but not rated
- September 2017GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- May 2019
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 2 May 2019.
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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