CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Melody Lodge
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- Inspectors found that risks were assessed and reviewed, medicines were managed safely and there were enough staff. Infection prevention arrangements were also found to be effective.
- Effective?
- Good
- People's needs and choices were assessed and used to create individual care plans. Staff were trained and supported, and people had access to health professionals when needed.
- Caring?
- Good
- Staff treated people with kindness, dignity and respect. People were involved in decisions about their care and supported to build independence.
- Responsive?
- Good
- The home adapted information and communication to people's needs. People were supported with activities, relationships, complaints and plans for end-of-life care.
- Well-led?
- Good
- The provider used audits, checks and action plans to monitor quality. People, relatives, staff and outside professionals were involved in developing the service.
What inspectors found, May 2021
Melody Lodge rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and person-centred care, with building work still continuing.
Inspectors visited on 20 April 2021. Two inspectors spoke with six people, staff, the manager and a company director. They observed care and reviewed care, medicine, recruitment, training and quality records.
The home was rated Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Inspectors found enough staff, safe medicine systems, suitable training, kind care and support that respected people's choices, privacy and independence.
People were supported to stay healthy, eat and drink well, keep in contact with relatives and take part in activities. The home also used accessible communication, such as pictures and objects, to help people make choices.
The overall rating improved from Requires Improvement, published on 15 October 2020. The home had made and sustained improvements and was meeting the previous conditions on its registration. Building work was still taking place, but risks had been assessed and an action plan was in place.
Personal choice
People helped plan their own care and were supported to live in ways that reflected their wishes.
“People were involved in planning their own care so that the way they lived their life reflected their choices and wishes.” from the report
Safe staffing
Inspectors found enough staff to meet people's needs promptly. Recruitment checks and medicine arrangements were also in place.
“There were enough staff to ensure people's needs and wishes were met in a timely way.” from the report
Kind and respectful care
Staff were observed supporting people in a caring way and protecting their privacy and dignity.
“Staff were kind and caring towards people and upheld their privacy and dignity.” from the report
Health support
People were supported to attend health appointments and access specialist services, including support for epilepsy and mental health.
“Records showed people had access to specialist healthcare services such as behavioural management teams, psychiatric services and epilepsy management teams when they needed them.” from the report
Building work still underway
minorExternal building work had continued for many years. Progress had been made and risks were assessed, but some work remained unfinished and timescales had been affected by the pandemic.
“At this inspection we saw building work continued.” from the report
- 01What building work is still outstanding, and what are the current expected completion dates?
- 02How will the building work affect my relative's privacy, dignity, routines and access around the home?
- 03How will you communicate with my relative if they need pictures, objects or other support to understand choices?
- 04How will you support my relative to keep in contact with family and take part in activities if restrictions change?
- 05How are my relative's health needs, medicines and any specialist support recorded and reviewed?
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating and covered all five key questions, including infection prevention and control measures during the COVID-19 pandemic. This explanation was written from the published report of 14 May 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.
What inspectors found, October 2020
Melody Lodge was rated Requires Improvement overall; inspectors found safer, better-led care, but this focused inspection did not assess all areas.
Inspectors visited on 15 and 17 July 2020. They spoke with four people, two staff members, the registered manager and a company director. They reviewed care records and management records, and sought further information after the visit.
The home was rated Good for Safe and Good for Well-led. Inspectors found improved risk assessments, staffing arrangements, safeguarding practice, infection control, medicines management and checks on incidents. They also found better systems for finding and fixing problems.
The overall rating was Requires Improvement. This was because the inspection focused only on Safe and Well-led, while ratings for the other areas were carried over from the previous comprehensive inspection. The previous overall rating was Inadequate, and the home had been in Special Measures, but it was no longer in Special Measures after this inspection.
Better risk management
Care plans and risk assessments had been updated to reflect people's needs and wishes. Staff had improved skills in supporting people when they became distressed.
“Care plans and risk assessments had been reviewed and updated and reflected people's needs and wishes.” from the report
Safe staffing
Staffing levels had been reviewed against people's needs, including night-time support and emergency evacuation arrangements.
“At this inspection we saw staffing levels were set in line with people's assessed night time and emergency evacuation needs.” from the report
Infection control
Staff followed national COVID-19 guidance, used protective equipment appropriately and carried out enhanced cleaning.
“At this inspection we saw staff were following national guidance in relation to the Covid-19 pandemic such as wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) appropriately and maintaining enhanced cleaning routines.” from the report
Stronger oversight
The home had introduced audits and action plans to identify shortfalls and track whether they were fixed.
“An action plan was in place to address shortfalls identified by the audit system which indicated when actions should be and had been completed.” from the report
More respectful environment
Changes to the building improved privacy, dignity and the homeliness of the setting.
“Screening had been creatively applied to one person's bedroom window to afford them privacy and protect their dignity.” from the report
Overall rating remains Requires Improvement
needs fixingAlthough Safe and Well-led were rated Good, the overall rating remained Requires Improvement because this inspection did not reassess all five areas.
“The overall rating for the service has changed from inadequate to requires improvement.” from the report
The home is larger than recommended
minorThe report says the home is larger than recommended by best practice guidance. Inspectors said the home had taken steps to reduce the effect of this on person-centred care.
“The service is larger than recommended by best practice guidance.” from the report
Some improvement work was delayed
needs fixingCOVID-19 affected the provider's action plan, and some priorities were not completed within the planned timescales.
“We were mindful of the impact the Covid-19 pandemic had upon the provider's action plan as time scales for completion of some priorities could not be met.” from the report
- 01What is the current evidence that the improvements to risk assessments and support for distressed behaviour have been maintained?
- 02How are night staffing levels reviewed if people's needs change or more people move into the home?
- 03Which improvements from the action plan were delayed because of COVID-19, and have they now been completed?
- 04What are the current ratings for Effective, Caring and Responsive, which were not assessed in this inspection?
- 05How does the home make sure its size does not reduce people's choice, independence, privacy or person-centred care?
This was a focused inspection of Safe and Well-led only; the ratings for Effective, Caring and Responsive were carried over from the previous comprehensive inspection. This explanation was written from the published report of 16 October 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.
Every inspection of Melody Lodge
5 rated inspections over 5 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- May 2021Goodcurrent ratingup from Requires improvementSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- October 2020Requires improvementup from InadequateSafe: GoodWell-led: Good
- August 2020Inadequatestayed InadequateSafe: InadequateEffective: InadequateCaring: Requires improvementResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Inadequate
- April 2019Inadequatedown from GoodSafe: InadequateEffective: Requires improvementCaring: InadequateResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Inadequate
- June 2016GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- February 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- July 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- July 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- July 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- January 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- January 2011
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 10 January 2011.
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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9 live-in carers within about an hour of Lincolnshire
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.
8 can care for a couple. 10 years' experience on average.
“Martin was more than a carer, he managed the home and became my uncle's best friend, enriching his life during his last few years.”
“Magda was always positive and proactive about trying new things to keep dad busy. She also introduced new ideas for keeping dad healthy.”
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.