CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Scarborough Hall and Lodge Care Home
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
What inspectors found, March 2019
Rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised care, with accessible information still being developed.
The inspection was unannounced and took place over two days. Inspectors spoke with people living in the home, relatives, staff and healthcare professionals. They reviewed care records, medicines records, staff files, training records, complaints and other documents.
The home was rated Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Inspectors found improvements in risk management, falls monitoring, staff training and supervision. They also found that medicines were managed safely, staffing levels met people's needs, and the home was clean and well maintained.
People were treated with kindness and respect. Care plans were personalised and up to date. People had access to activities, healthcare, food choices, family visits and support with future and end of life care.
The previous rating was Requires improvement. The report says the two earlier breaches involving safe care and treatment and staffing had been met by this inspection.
Falls and risk management
The home had improved how it assessed and monitored risks. The number of falls had fallen substantially over the previous year.
“The number of falls within the service had been reduced by 66% over the last year.” from the report
Staffing and training
Inspectors found enough staff on duty and improvements in training, supervision and staff development.
“There were sufficient staff on duty meet people's needs and to enable people to take part in social activities and to attend medical appointments.” from the report
Personalised care
Care plans included people's needs, preferences and choices. Staff used this information to support independence and quality of life.
“Care plans and risk assessments contained relevant information and were up-to-date.” from the report
Kind and respectful care
People and relatives described staff as polite, caring and respectful. Staff gave people time to respond and involved them in decisions.
“People confirmed staff were always very polite and included them when making decisions about how they wanted their care provided.” from the report
Family contact and activities
People could see family members when they wished and had activities in the home and community. Families could also use an app to share photos and stories.
“People were able to see their families as they wanted. There were no restrictions on when people could visit the service.” from the report
Accessible information still developing
minorThe home recognised that information needed to be available in formats people could understand, but this work was not yet complete.
“The registered manager was aware of the need to make information for people available in formats they could understand. They said this was 'a work in progress'.” from the report
- 01How would you assess and monitor my relative's risks, including their risk of falling?
- 02What dementia training have staff completed, and how would staff support my relative's independence and choices?
- 03How would you review my relative's care plan with them and our family if their needs changed?
- 04What information can you provide in large print, easy read or pictorial formats now?
- 05What activities would suit my relative, and how would you support them to attend activities or healthcare appointments?
This was an unannounced inspection of the care provided and the premises, covering all five CQC questions; inspectors did not use SOFI because most people stayed in their bedrooms except at mealtimes. This explanation was written from the published report of 16 March 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.
What inspectors found, June 2018
Requires Improvement; inspectors found progress in management and safety monitoring, but improvements were not yet firmly established.
This was an unannounced focused inspection on 30 April 2018. Inspectors checked whether problems found at the previous inspection had been put right, especially weaknesses in how the home was managed. They spoke with managers and staff, observed people, looked at care records, medicines records, audits, incidents and staffing information.
The home had made enough improvement to meet the previous warning notices. Risk assessments, care plans, staffing checks, cleanliness and monitoring had improved. The manager was also more involved in checking people's needs and responding to concerns.
However, inspectors found that some changes were new and needed to become part of everyday practice. Medicines were still sometimes given late, some records were not signed, and audits did not properly look for repeated patterns. One person who needed help with drinking went without hydration for an hour and a half, and staff could better support people living with dementia to choose meals.
The overall rating was Requires Improvement. This visit directly rated the home as Requires Improvement for being well-led. The other areas were not inspected during this visit, so their previous ratings were carried forward into the overall rating.
Better risk monitoring
Care plans and risk assessments were being updated when people's needs changed, including after falls, weight loss and skin problems.
“Checks of four care files showed that care plans and risk assessments had been reviewed and updated as their needs changed.” from the report
Clean environment
The areas inspectors saw were clean and tidy, and equipment was working and maintained.
“All areas we looked at were clean, tidy and free from malodours.” from the report
Medicines were sometimes late
needs fixingMorning medicines on the ground floor were still given late. Staff did give time-limited medicines first, but repeated signing problems remained.
“We also noted that morning medicines on the ground floor were still being administered at 11:00am.” from the report
Audits did not find patterns
needs fixingChecks were being completed, but managers were not yet analysing them well enough to identify repeated risks or common causes.
“However, these had not been managed effectively as there were repeated issues of senior care staff not signing for medicines that had been administered.” from the report
Support with drinking and meals
needs fixingOne person needed staff help to drink but went without hydration for an hour and a half. Staff also needed to explain meal choices more clearly to people living with dementia.
“However one person went an hour and a half without hydration, as they needed staff to assist them with drinking and this did not happen.” from the report
- 01How do you now make sure morning medicines are given at the correct time and that every administration is signed for?
- 02How do staff identify and respond when a person with dementia needs help to eat or drink?
- 03What checks do managers carry out to make sure people do not go without hydration?
- 04How are accidents, incidents and medicine errors analysed for repeated patterns?
- 05What evidence can you show that the improvements identified in this report have become established practice?
This was an unannounced focused inspection of Well-led only; the other key-question ratings were carried forward from the previous comprehensive inspection. This explanation was written from the published report of 16 June 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 Scarborough Hall and Lodge Care Home
5 rated inspections over 4 years: the service has improved, from Requires improvement to Good.
- March 2019Goodcurrent ratingup from Requires improvementSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
Read what inspectors found at Scarborough Hall and Lodge Care Home →
- June 2018Requires improvementstayed Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
Read what inspectors found at Scarborough Hall and Lodge Care Home →
- February 2018Requires improvementdown from GoodSafe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- October 2016GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- January 2016Inspected but not ratedSafe: Requires improvement
- June 2015Requires improvementSafe: InadequateEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- February 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- November 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- July 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- November 2011
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 14 November 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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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.
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