CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Southlawns
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Requires improvement
- Medicine was not always managed safely, including storage and administration issues, and some care plans lacked guidance for specific health conditions.
- Effective?
- Good
- People's needs were assessed and care was delivered in line with best practice. Staff had good training and worked well with health professionals.
- Caring?
- Good
- Staff were kind, respectful and knew people well. They promoted dignity, privacy and independence.
- Responsive?
- Good
- Care plans were personalised and regularly reviewed. Activities and social opportunities matched people's interests.
- Well-led?
- Good
- The home was well managed with an open culture. The registered manager was knowledgeable and responsive to concerns.
What inspectors found, October 2019
Rated Good overall; inspectors found safe, kind care but medicine management needs improvement.
Inspectors visited Southlawns care home unannounced over two days in August 2019. They spoke with people living there, their visitors, staff, and health professionals. They looked at care records, staff files, medicine management, and the home's environment.
People said they felt safe and cared for by kind staff who knew them well. The home had enough staff to meet people's needs, and staff had good training. Care plans were personalised and regularly reviewed, though some lacked detail about specific health conditions.
The home was clean and well maintained. People were supported to be independent and involved in decisions about their care. The management was open and worked to improve the service, responding quickly to concerns raised during the inspection.
However, inspectors found some problems with how medicines were managed. Some medicines were not given safely or stored correctly. The home needs to improve training and guidance for staff about certain health conditions and medicine handling.
Open and responsive management
Management listened to feedback and acted quickly to resolve issues.
“During the inspection, any concerns raised were responded to quickly by the registered manager to rectify the issue or take action to follow it up.” from the report
Support for independence
People were encouraged to be independent and involved in the home’s daily life.
“I am left to be independent, but there's help there if I want it.” from the report
Medicine management
seriousMedicines were not always given or stored safely, risking people's health.
“Medicines stored in the fridge, including insulin, was not being stored safely. Fridge temperatures had been repeatedly recorded as being below the safe range for fridge medicine.” from the report
- 01How does the home ensure medicines are stored and given safely, especially those needing fridge storage?
- 02What training and guidance do staff have for managing specific health conditions my relative may have?
- 03How does the home support people to make choices during busy times, such as medicine administration?
- 04What steps does the home take to maintain enough staff to meet people's needs consistently?
- 05How are care plans kept up to date with all important information about my relative’s needs and preferences?
This was a comprehensive inspection covering all key areas of the service. This explanation was written from the published report of 31 October 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, February 2017
Rated Good; inspectors found kind, safe and well-managed care, with some concerns about staffing and family involvement in care plans.
The inspection was unannounced and took place on 11 and 12 January 2017. Inspectors spoke with people living in the home, relatives, staff, managers and outside health professionals. They observed care, checked the building and reviewed care records, staff files and other records.
The overall rating was Good. Each of the five areas was also rated Good: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. People said they felt safe, received their medicines on time, had enough food and drink, and were treated kindly and with respect.
Inspectors found suitable staffing levels during the visit, safe medicine systems, trained staff, clean premises and care plans that were reviewed. There were activities, access to health professionals and systems for handling complaints and checking quality.
There were some mixed comments about staff shortages, agency staff and delays with call bells. Some relatives said they had not been involved in care plans. Most staff had not yet had formal training on the Mental Capacity Act and related safeguards, although training was being arranged.
Kind and respectful care
Inspectors saw staff working calmly and patiently. People were treated with dignity and personal care was provided discreetly.
“We observed staff working in a kind, professional and caring manner.” from the report
Safe medicines
Medicines were stored securely and records were completed correctly. Staff who administered medicines had suitable training.
“Medicine administration records were maintained electronically, and completed correctly.” from the report
Personalised support
Care plans included people's needs, preferences and some background information. They were reviewed and updated when people's needs changed.
“Care plans contained appropriate information to help staff provide the person with individual care.” from the report
Activities and choice
People could choose from activities such as gardening, cooking, music and trips out. They were also supported to choose when to get up and go to bed.
“People said they felt involved in making choices about how they wanted to live their lives and spend their time.” from the report
Quality checks
The home used regular checks, including reviews by an organisation quality officer, to look at care, records, meals and the environment.
“Each month, a 'Quality Health Check' was completed by one of the organisation's quality assurance officers, who did not work at the service.” from the report
Staffing and agency use
needs fixingAlthough inspectors found enough staff on duty during the visit, some relatives described occasional shortages and difficulty caused by agency staff who were not regular.
“A relative said "There is a lot of agency (staff used). They are not regular staff which can be difficult for old people.” from the report
Call bell delays
needs fixingMost people said call bells were answered promptly, but some reported occasional delays. One relative linked delays to there not being enough staff.
“However another relative said "Call bells are not always answered as quickly as they should be (as there are not enough staff around).” from the report
Family involvement in care plans
minorRelatives gave mixed accounts about whether they had seen or been consulted about care plans. The home said there was a system for involving people and relatives, but this was not consistent in the feedback.
“There were mixed views about whether relatives were consulted or received a care plan.” from the report
Mental Capacity Act training
needs fixingMost staff had not had formal training on the Mental Capacity Act and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards at the time of inspection. Training was planned for April and May 2017.
“However we noted that the majority of staff had received no formal training about the Mental Capacity Act and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards although this was being arranged.” from the report
- 01How many permanent and agency staff are usually on duty now, and how do you respond if staffing levels are low?
- 02How quickly are call bells usually answered, and how do you monitor any delays?
- 03How are relatives involved in writing and reviewing care plans?
- 04Did staff complete the planned Mental Capacity Act and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards training in April and May 2017?
- 05What has changed since the inspection in January 2017?
This was an unannounced inspection of the overall quality of the home and covered all five CQC areas, with observations, discussions and record checks. This explanation was written from the published report of 23 February 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 Southlawns
2 rated inspections over 3 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- October 2019Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- February 2017GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- December 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- July 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- December 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- November 2010
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 15 November 2010.
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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