CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Lostock Lodge Care Home
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- Inspectors were assured that infection prevention and control procedures were being followed. This included PPE, testing, cleaning, admissions, isolation and outbreak management.
- Effective?
- Good
- This area was not assessed in this targeted inspection.
- Caring?
- Good
- This area was not assessed in this targeted inspection.
- Responsive?
- Good
- This area was not assessed in this targeted inspection.
- Well-led?
- Good
- This area was not assessed in this targeted inspection.
What inspectors found, November 2020
Inspected but not rated; inspectors found good infection control arrangements at Lostock Lodge Care Home.
The CQC carried out an announced, targeted inspection on 3 November 2020. It was prompted by coronavirus outbreaks and looked only at infection prevention and control.
Inspectors were assured that the home was using personal protective equipment safely, following social distancing and shielding rules, and managing admissions, testing and isolation safely.
The home had increased cleaning and kept families informed about outbreaks and visiting changes. Window visits were available, and end-of-life visits continued.
The home was inspected but not rated. This means the visit did not give an overall quality rating or a separate rating for the other areas of care.
Protective equipment
Staff had the protective equipment they needed and inspectors saw it being used in line with national guidance.
“Staff were provided with the personal protective equipment (PPE) they needed.” from the report
Family contact
The home kept families updated about outbreaks and visiting arrangements through calls, emails and newsletters.
“The provider ensured friends and family were kept informed of infection outbreaks and changes to visiting arrangements” from the report
Visiting at end of life
Window visits were available, and the home continued to allow family visits for people at the end of life.
“The registered manager was ensuring that people at ' end of life' were still able to see their family.” from the report
Isolation support
The home followed isolation guidance for new admissions and people returning from or waiting for hospital treatment. Staff provided activities for people staying in their bedrooms.
“Staff were carrying out activities on and one to one basis to keep people occupied whilst staying in their bedrooms.” from the report
Cleaning
Cleaning schedules and routines had been increased to reduce the risk of infection spreading.
“Cleaning schedules and routines had been increased and to reduce the risks of cross infection.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01What are the home's current arrangements for indoor and window visits?
- 02How does the home manage new admissions and people returning from hospital?
- 03How often are residents and staff tested, and what happens when someone tests positive?
- 04How are people supported with activities and contact with family while isolating?
- 05When was the infection prevention and control policy last reviewed?
This was an announced, targeted inspection of infection prevention and control only; the service was inspected but not rated and the other areas were not assessed. This explanation was written from the published report of 19 November 2020 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 2019
Rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and responsive care, with improvements in medicines and management sustained.
This was an unannounced inspection on 20 and 22 November 2019. Inspectors spoke with people living in the home, relatives, staff and a visiting healthcare professional. They also checked care plans, medicines records, complaints, training and quality checks.
The home was rated Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Inspectors found enough staff, safe medicines systems, clean surroundings and suitable risk assessments. People were supported with food, healthcare, activities and communication.
People and relatives described staff as kind, respectful and approachable. The home had improved since the previous inspection, and the earlier problems with medicines and quality monitoring had been addressed and kept under review.
Medicines managed safely
The improvements identified at the last inspection had been maintained. Inspectors found medicines were administered, stored and recorded safely.
“Improvements found at the last inspection in relation to the management of medicine had been sustained.” from the report
Prompt help and staffing
Inspectors found enough staff to meet people's needs, and people did not have to wait when they asked for assistance.
“Staff responded quickly to call bells and people asking for help were being attended to promptly.” from the report
Kind and respectful care
People and relatives spoke positively about staff. Inspectors saw caring relationships and found that people were treated with dignity and respect.
“Positive and caring relationships had been made between people and staff.” from the report
Activities and social contact
People could take part in individual and group activities, trips and entertainment. Staff also spent time talking with people to help prevent social isolation.
“People were offered the opportunity to participate in a wide range of one to one and group activities such as exercise classes, singing and dancing.” from the report
Quality monitoring
The earlier problems with governance had been addressed. The home used checks, surveys and meetings to monitor quality and make improvements.
“Improvements found at the last inspection to the effectiveness of the quality assurance systems had been sustained.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How has the change from the previous registered manager to the new manager been completed since the inspection?
- 02How do you make sure medicines continue to be administered, stored and recorded safely?
- 03How will you make sure there are enough staff to respond promptly to call bells and requests for help?
- 04Which activities would suit my relative's interests, communication needs and health?
- 05How are families involved in reviewing care plans and raising concerns?
This was an unannounced planned inspection based on the previous rating and covered all five CQC questions; the previous rating was Good, published on 5 April 2018. This explanation was written from the published report of 31 December 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.
Every inspection of Lostock Lodge Care Home
4 rated inspections over 2 years: the service has improved, from Requires improvement to Good.
- November 2020Inspected but not ratedcurrent ratingSafe: Inspected but not rated
- December 2019Goodup from Requires improvementSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- November 2018Requires improvementup from InadequateSafe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- April 2018Inadequatedown from Requires improvementSafe: InadequateEffective: Requires improvementCaring: Requires improvementResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Inadequate
- August 2017Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- January 2017
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 17 January 2017.
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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84 live-in carers within about an hour of Cheshire West and Chester
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 £1,260 a week. 76 can care for a couple. 10 years' experience on average.
“She is an exemplary carer, she is knowledgable empathetic and very respectful in the home.”
“It was clear that she genuinely cared and her warm approach really helped put our minds at ease.”
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.