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CQC report explained · a residential care home

What the CQC found at Lyncroft Care Home

Goodpublished 28 June 2022, 4 years ago

Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.

The five questions inspectors ask
Safe?
Good
Staff understood safeguarding and how to report concerns. Risks, medicines, staffing and infection control were generally managed safely, although non-pedal bins in two medicines rooms were replaced after the inspection.
Effective?
Good
This question was not assessed in this inspection.
Caring?
Good
This question was not assessed in this inspection.
Responsive?
Good
This question was not assessed in this inspection.
Well-led?
Good
The new registered manager had improved incident review, openness and staff confidence. Audits and management checks were being used to identify and drive improvements.
The latest report, explained

What inspectors found, June 2022

Lyncroft Care Home was rated Good; inspectors found safe care and stronger leadership, but the inspection followed safeguarding incidents that were not examined.

This was an unannounced inspection on 7 June 2022. Inspectors spoke with people, relatives and staff, observed care, and checked care, medicines, recruitment, incident and management records.

The home was rated Good for Safe and Well-led. Inspectors found that staff understood safeguarding, risks were managed, medicines were handled safely, staffing was suitable and infection control was mostly effective.

The inspection followed incidents reported in March 2022. Those incidents were subject to a criminal investigation, so inspectors did not examine what happened. They found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm from the concerns raised.

The overall Good rating means the service was meeting the standards examined in this inspection. The previous overall rating was also Good, published on 15 January 2019.

What inspectors praised
  • Safeguarding

    Staff knew how to recognise and report possible abuse. People and relatives spoken with said people felt safe.

    “All people and relatives we spoke with felt people were safe.” from the report
  • Medicines

    Staff were trained and medicines were administered, recorded, stored and audited safely. Records checked were accurate and up to date.

    “Medicines were recorded, audited, stored and disposed of safely in line with the provider's medicines administration policy.” from the report
  • Staffing

    Recruitment checks were completed and people, relatives and staff said there were enough staff with the right skills.

    “A robust process was in place to help ensure there were enough staff who were suitable and safely recruited.” from the report
  • Leadership

    The manager had introduced weekly incident reviews and encouraged staff to report concerns. Inspectors found effective oversight and a more open culture.

    “The current registered manager led by example and had fostered an open and honest staff team culture.” from the report
What inspectors were concerned about
  • Medicines room bins

    minor

    Non-pedal bins were being used in both medicines administration storage rooms. Inspectors said this could create a risk of cross-contamination, although the bins were replaced shortly afterwards.

    “Although kept clean, these bins could create a risk of cross contamination.” from the report
  • Incidents before the inspection

    needs fixing

    The inspection was prompted by incidents in which some people were not safeguarded from harm. The report says those incidents were subject to a criminal investigation and were not examined as part of this inspection.

    “These incidents are subject to a criminal investigation.” from the report
Questions to ask them, based on this report
  1. 01What changes have been made to incident reporting and weekly reviews since the inspection?
  2. 02How do you check that safeguarding concerns are reported promptly to the right organisations?
  3. 03Have the replacement bins in the medicines rooms remained in place, and how is infection control monitored?
  4. 04What are the current ratings or most recent inspection findings for Effective, Caring and Responsive?
  5. 05How do you make sure there are enough staff with the right skills for my relative's needs?

This was an unannounced focused inspection of Safe and Well-led, prompted by reported incidents; Effective, Caring and Responsive were not assessed and had no new ratings. This explanation was written from the published report of 28 June 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.

An earlier report, explained

What inspectors found, March 2021

Inspected but not rated; inspectors were assured that infection prevention and control measures were in place.

The inspection took place on 2 March 2021 and was announced. It was a targeted inspection during the coronavirus pandemic, focused on infection prevention and control.

Inspectors found good practice. Staff used personal protective equipment, completed infection control training and had checks of their practice. The home used separate zones, regular cleaning and COVID-19 testing.

Visits were booked in advance and took place in a screened visiting room. Visitors were tested before entering. The service was inspected but not rated, so this report does not give a full overall quality rating.

What inspectors praised
  • PPE and staff checks

    Staff used appropriate protective equipment and had infection control training. Their practice was checked through competency checks and daily visual checks.

    “Staff had completed training in infection control and the correct use off PPE.” from the report
  • Safer visiting

    Visits were booked in advance and took place in a screened room. Visitors were tested and the room was cleaned after each visit.

    “The visiting room was partitioned by a screen to keep people safe, allowing families and friends to meet.” from the report
  • Separate zones

    The two floors were treated as separate zones, with staff working in allocated areas to reduce movement and the risk of infection spreading.

    “Staff only worked in their allocated zone, in order to reduce movement across the home and any subsequent risk of cross contamination and transmission of infection.” from the report
  • Clean environment

    Inspectors found the building clean and free from clutter. Cleaning schedules covered frequently touched areas.

    “The building looked clean and free from clutter.” from the report
What inspectors were concerned about

Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.

Questions to ask them, based on this report
  1. 01How have your infection prevention and control arrangements changed since the inspection on 2 March 2021?
  2. 02How do you now manage visits, including any testing, screening and cleaning arrangements?
  3. 03Do staff still work in separate zones, and how do you reduce infection risks when staff need to move between areas?
  4. 04How often are staff checked on their use of protective equipment and infection control procedures?
  5. 05Can you show us the latest full CQC inspection report and current ratings for areas not assessed in this inspection?

This was a targeted inspection of infection prevention and control during the coronavirus pandemic; it did not assess the other four key questions or give an overall rating. This explanation was written from the published report of 11 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.

The story over the years

Every inspection of Lyncroft Care Home

4 rated inspections over 7 years: the service has improved, from Requires improvement to Good.

  1. June 2022Goodcurrent rating
    Safe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good

    Read what inspectors found at Lyncroft Care Home →

  2. March 2021Inspected but not rated
    Safe: Inspected but not rated

    Read what inspectors found at Lyncroft Care Home →

  3. January 2019Goodstayed Good
    Safe: GoodWell-led: Good

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  4. August 2016Goodup from Requires improvement
    Safe: GoodEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  5. September 2015Requires improvement
    Safe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  6. September 2014

    Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 2 September 2014.

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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