CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Lighthouse
Rated Outstanding: inspectors found the home performing exceptionally well.
- Safe?
- Good
- People had clear risk assessments, suitable staffing and safe medicines arrangements. Recruitment checks, infection control and learning from incidents were also found to be effective.
- Effective?
- Good
- People received thorough assessments, trained and supervised support, suitable food and healthcare. Inspectors found the home worked within the Mental Capacity Act and had used DoLS where appropriate.
- Caring?
- Outstanding
- Staff knew people well and provided kind, compassionate support. People were involved in decisions, treated with dignity and encouraged to build confidence and independence.
- Responsive?
- Outstanding
- Care plans were tailored and updated as people's needs changed. People were supported with chosen activities, relationships, communication, community life and personal goals.
- Well-led?
- Outstanding
- Inspectors found strong management, a stable staff team and very effective quality checks. The home worked closely with families and other professionals and used learning to improve.
What inspectors found, July 2018
Rated Outstanding; inspectors found exceptionally caring, responsive and well-led support, with safe and effective care rated Good.
This was an unannounced comprehensive inspection on 11 and 27 June 2018. One inspector observed care, spoke with people, relatives, staff and professionals, and checked care files, medicines, recruitment, training, complaints and quality checks.
The home supports up to 14 adults with learning disabilities and complex behavioural needs. Inspectors found people were safe, received effective healthcare and medicines support, and were supported by well-trained staff. The building was safe and being improved.
Care was judged Outstanding because staff were kind, respectful and highly focused on people's independence and wellbeing. Support was also Outstandingly responsive, with activities, care plans and communication adapted to people's changing needs.
The overall rating improved from Good at the November 2015 inspection to Outstanding. The report also noted that end of life care plans were still being developed.
Kind and respectful care
Staff understood people's individual needs and supported their dignity, privacy, communication and emotional wellbeing.
“Staff were kind, caring and compassionate. They understood people's individual circumstances and ensured that people were supported in a way that respected their dignity, privacy and independence.” from the report
Building independence
People were helped to learn everyday skills and make choices about their care, activities and lives.
“People were actively involved in every aspect of their lives; they made daily decisions about their care and support.” from the report
Personalised activities
The home supported a wide range of activities, community links, holidays and personal ambitions, including work-related skills.
“People received exceptional person-centred care that was extremely responsive to their complex changing needs.” from the report
Strong partnership working
The home worked closely with health and social care professionals to support complex needs and improve people's quality of life.
“The service worked extremely well in partnership with others to ensure that people received support that met their complex needs.” from the report
Effective leadership
Inspectors found a stable team, strong management and quality checks that led to ongoing improvements.
“The quality assurance system and processes were exceptionally effective.” from the report
End of life plans not complete
minorEnd of life care plans were still being developed. The report says people were mainly younger adults and did not wish to discuss this at the time.
“End of life care plans were in the process of being developed.” from the report
- 01What progress has been made in completing end of life care plans?
- 02Have the building improvements to the communal areas been completed, and are there any further works planned?
- 03How would you update my relative's care and support plan if their complex needs or behaviour changed?
- 04How would you support my relative to manage their own medicines, if they wanted to develop that skill?
- 05How are families involved in reviewing care, raising concerns and discussing changes in support?
This was an unannounced comprehensive inspection covering all five key questions; all five ratings were assessed and the overall rating improved from Good at the November 2015 inspection to Outstanding. This explanation was written from the published report of 27 July 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 Lighthouse
2 rated inspections over 3 years: the service has improved, from Good to Outstanding.
- July 2018Outstandingcurrent ratingup from GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: OutstandingResponsive: OutstandingWell-led: Outstanding
- December 2015GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- May 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- October 2012
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 2 October 2012.
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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52 live-in carers within about an hour of Southend-on-Sea
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 £1,200 a week. 45 can care for a couple. 12 years' experience on average.
“She brought fun and stimulation into mums life.”
“She was always cheerful and looking for ways to stimulate my mother. She became her "friend" and provided best care always.”
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.