CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Solent Lodge
Rated Requires improvement: inspectors found the home was not performing as well as it should and told it what to change.
What inspectors found, January 2018
Solent Lodge was rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and responsive care, with improvements since the previous inspection.
Inspectors visited on 4 December 2017. The visit was unannounced, although the home had two days' notice because some people could not consent to a home visit. They spoke with staff and healthcare professionals, reviewed relatives' feedback and examined care, medicine, staffing and management records.
The home provides residential care for up to four adults with learning and physical disabilities. All five areas were rated Good. Inspectors found that people were protected from abuse, medicines were managed safely, staffing met people's needs and infection control arrangements were in place.
The previous inspection in December 2016 had rated the home Requires Improvement. Inspectors had found problems with medicines and quality checks. At this inspection, they found these improvements had been made and said the provider was no longer in breach of the regulations.
Medicine safety
The earlier medicine problems had been addressed. Staff were trained, records were completed and regular checks were being carried out.
“Regular checks and audits had been carried out by the registered manager to make sure that medicines were given and recorded correctly.” from the report
Enough staff
Staffing levels were based on people's needs and were reviewed when those needs changed. Inspectors saw staff providing support without appearing rushed.
“There were enough skilled staff deployed to support people and meet their needs.” from the report
Kind and respectful care
Staff understood how people communicated and responded sensitively when people were anxious or upset. People's privacy and dignity were respected.
“Staff attended to people straight away if they were anxious or upset and comforted them in a gentle and kind way.” from the report
Choice and independence
People were supported to make choices about meals, routines and activities. Staff helped people build everyday skills and take part in community life.
“People were supported to lead happy and fulfilled lives in the least restrictive way.” from the report
Improved leadership
Quality checks and audits had been strengthened since the previous inspection. The home sought feedback from people, relatives and staff and used it to improve the service.
“The provider carried out robust quality assurance checks to assess and monitor the quality of care people received.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How are medicine checks and audits carried out now, and what happens if a problem is found?
- 02How do you review staffing levels when a person's needs or risks change?
- 03How are people's communication methods, choices and best-interest decisions recorded and kept up to date?
- 04Which activities and community outings are currently available for each person?
- 05How do people and relatives give feedback, and can you show examples of changes made in response?
This was an inspection of the overall quality of the care home and all five CQC questions, including care, records, staffing, medicines, the environment and management. This explanation was written from the published report of 4 January 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.
What inspectors found, March 2017
Rated Requires Improvement; inspectors found kind, effective and responsive care, but medicines safety and quality checks were not reliable.
Inspectors visited on 6 December 2016. They spoke with the people living at the home, relatives, staff and managers. They observed care and checked care records, medicine records, staff files and management records.
The home was rated Good for Effective, Caring and Responsive. People were treated with respect, supported to make choices and helped to take part in activities, holidays and community life. Staff knew people well and were described as kind and calm.
The home was rated Requires Improvement for Safe and Well-led. Medicine storage checks were missed, guidance for some medicines was not complete, staff medicine skills were not checked regularly and some records had gaps. Quality audits had not found these problems.
The overall rating was Requires Improvement. The report identified two breaches of regulations. The provider was asked to send CQC an action plan, and CQC said it would check that action was taken.
Kind and respectful care
Inspectors saw a relaxed atmosphere. Staff knew people well and supported them in a calm, respectful way.
“We observed staff supporting people throughout the day and saw them demonstrate a good knowledge of the people they were caring for, how they liked to spend their time and how they communicated.” from the report
Activities and community life
People were supported to enjoy activities that matched their interests. They went out regularly, maintained relationships and had opportunities for holidays and trips.
“People had access to a range of activities both inside and outside of the service.” from the report
Safeguarding and recruitment
Staff understood how to report suspected abuse and felt able to raise concerns. Recruitment checks were completed before staff started work.
“Staff had received safeguarding training and were able to explain reporting procedure should they have any concerns about safeguarding issues.” from the report
Health and nutrition
People had access to healthcare professionals, regular health checks and healthy food and drinks. People were involved in menu planning and shopping.
“People were provided with a choice of healthy food and drinks to help ensure their nutritional needs were met.” from the report
Medicine safety
seriousMedicine storage checks were missed and some records were incomplete. There was also no clear guidance for some medicines given when needed, and staff competency checks were not regular.
“There was insufficient guidance for staff about administering medicines that were to be given 'as required' and there were some gaps in the medicine administration records.” from the report
Medicine administration records
seriousInspectors found prescribed toothpaste was often not signed for, medicine that was no longer used was not listed on a record and one tablet could not be accounted for.
“One tablet was missing from a blister pack.” from the report
Quality monitoring
seriousThe home carried out some audits, but they did not identify the problems found by inspectors. This meant management oversight was not strong enough.
“There were insufficient systems in place to audit, monitor and improve the quality of the service.” from the report
Support plans
needs fixingSupport plans covered people's care needs but were described as quite task-focused. Inspectors said more personal detail was needed.
“The inclusion of a greater level of detail specific to the individual would have made the support plans more person centred.” from the report
Supervision records
needs fixingStaff supervision meetings were not happening as often as the provider's guidance said they should. Records did not show all relevant discussions, and managers were not receiving supervision.
“We saw records from staff supervision meetings that confirmed they were taking place but not as often as stated.” from the report
- 01What action has been taken to make sure medicine storage temperatures are recorded every day?
- 02How often are staff now checked as competent to administer medicines?
- 03How are medicines given when needed now supported by clear written protocols?
- 04How does the home check that medicine records are complete and that all stock is accounted for?
- 05What new audits or checks are now used to identify problems before they affect people?
This was a planned inspection covering all five CQC questions, based on observations, discussions and records for all four people living at the home. This explanation was written from the published report of 7 March 2017 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 Solent Lodge
2 rated inspections over a year: the service has improved, from Requires improvement to Good.
- January 2018Goodcurrent ratingup from Requires improvementSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- March 2017Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- June 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- November 2013
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 10 November 2013.
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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26 live-in carers within about an hour of Hampshire
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 £1,020 to £1,260 a week. 23 can care for a couple. 14 years' experience on average.
“I cannot recommend Prisca highly enough, she is one in a million.”
“He stayed with her throughout the pandemic, refusing to visit his own family, who lived nearby, to reduce the risk of infection.”
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