CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Walmley Road
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- Inspectors were assured that the home was using PPE safely, supporting testing, managing infection risks and facilitating visits in line with current guidance. The provider also said it had measures to manage COVID-19-related staffing pressures.
- Effective?
- Good
- Does the care work? Training, consent, food and drink, working with GPs and nurses.
- Caring?
- Good
- Are people treated with kindness and dignity?
- Responsive?
- Good
- Is care built around the person? Care plans, activities, complaints.
- Well-led?
- Good
- Is the home run well? The manager, the culture, how problems get found and fixed.
What inspectors found, January 2022
Lonsdale Midlands Ltd - Walmley Road was inspected but not rated; inspectors found good infection control and visiting arrangements.
This was a targeted inspection on 12 January 2022. It looked at infection prevention and control, visiting arrangements, and whether COVID-19 staffing pressures affected care. The inspection was announced with 24 hours' notice.
Inspectors found that the home followed national guidance when people or staff tested positive. PPE, hand-washing stations, testing and social distancing arrangements were in place. Families and friends could use a range of visiting options.
The home was rated as inspected but not rated overall. The Safe question was also inspected but not rated. This was not a full inspection of the home's overall quality.
Infection control
The home followed national self-isolation guidance after positive COVID-19 tests. PPE and hand-washing facilities were available for staff and visitors.
“Personal protective equipment (PPE) and hand washing stations were available to staff and visitors throughout the home.” from the report
Family visits
The home offered different ways for people to stay in contact with family and friends during the pandemic.
“A range of visitation options were available to allow people to keep in contact with family and friends.” from the report
Social distancing
The layout of the home and its daily activities supported social distancing.
“The arrangement of furniture and daily activities allowed people to remain socially distanced.” from the report
COVID-19 safeguards
Inspectors were assured that the home met infection prevention and control guidelines as a designated care setting.
“We were assured that this service met good infection prevention and control guidelines as a designated care setting.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01What infection prevention and control arrangements are currently in place, and how have they changed since January 2022?
- 02How are visits arranged now, including visits from family and friends?
- 03How does the home manage COVID-19 testing, positive tests and self-isolation?
- 04What measures are in place if COVID-19 causes staff shortages or other staffing pressures?
This was a targeted inspection of infection prevention and control, visiting arrangements and COVID-19-related staffing pressures; it did not provide a full quality assessment or ratings for the other questions. This explanation was written from the published report of 28 January 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, October 2018
Lonsdale Midlands Ltd - Walmley Road was rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised care, with the manager's registration still being processed.
This was an unannounced inspection on 6 September 2018. One inspector met everyone living in the home, observed care, spoke with three support staff and the manager, and checked care, medicines, recruitment, incident and quality records.
The home supports up to four people with learning disabilities. All four places were occupied during the inspection. Inspectors found people looked happy, relaxed and comfortable, and that staff understood their needs, risks, choices and communication.
All five areas were rated Good: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Each rating remained Good from the previous inspection in September 2015.
Safe medicines support
Inspectors found medicines were given as prescribed, recorded correctly and stored safely. Staff were trained and their competence was checked.
“We looked at MAR (medication administration records) which showed that people had their medication on time and doses were not missed.” from the report
Kind relationships
People appeared relaxed with staff, who knew their needs and preferences. Staff were not rushed and supported people respectfully.
“This showed that staff had developed kind and caring relationships with people.” from the report
Personalised support
Care records included people's preferences, routines, communication needs and personal goals. Staff followed this information in practice.
“The care records we looked at included sections referred to as the 'best way to work with me' and 'goals and dreams' and were found to be comprehensive and individual to the person.” from the report
Choice and independence
People were supported to make everyday choices, take part in activities and do tasks for themselves where possible.
“People were supported to enjoy a range of activities and were involved in their day to day care and chose how to spend their day.” from the report
Good oversight
The provider used audits, incident reviews and monthly reports to monitor the home. The inspection found that required notifications had been sent to CQC.
“We saw that the registered provider had a range of audits and checks to monitor the quality and safety of the service.” from the report
Manager registration pending
minorThe manager had applied to register with CQC, but the application had not yet been completed when inspectors visited. The report does not say this affected the quality of care.
“At the time of our inspection the new manager had applied to CQC to be the registered manager and their application was being processed.” from the report
Future end-of-life wishes
minorNo one was receiving end-of-life care during the inspection. The home was starting to collect and record people's wishes, so families may want to ask how far this work has progressed.
“They told us that they were starting to gather information about people's wishes.” from the report
- 01Has the manager's CQC registration application now been completed?
- 02How many staff would support my relative during the day and at night, and how are changing staffing needs reviewed?
- 03How would you record and communicate my relative's wishes about future end-of-life care?
- 04How would my relative's communication needs and preferences be recorded and shared with staff?
- 05What activities and community opportunities would be available for my relative?
This was an unannounced inspection covering all five key questions; all five ratings remained Good from September 2015. This explanation was written from the published report of 17 October 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 Walmley Road
3 rated inspections over 4 years: the service has improved, from Requires improvement to Good.
- January 2022Inspected but not ratedcurrent ratingSafe: Inspected but not rated
- October 2018Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- November 2015Goodup from Requires improvementSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- March 2015Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: Requires improvementResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Inadequate
- May 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- September 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- June 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- September 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- March 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- November 2010
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 25 November 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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