CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Stockton Lodge Care Home
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
What inspectors found, September 2022
Stockton Lodge Care Home was rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and well-organised care, with some records needing prompt improvement.
This was an unannounced focused inspection. Inspectors visited on 16 August 2022, spoke with people, relatives and staff, observed care, and checked care records, medicines and other records. They also looked at infection prevention and control.
The home was rated Good overall. Safe, Responsive and Well-led were each rated Good. Inspectors found enough staff, safe medicines systems, suitable infection control, activities, support for relationships and a manager who was approachable and acted on feedback.
There were some gaps. Records for people staying for a short time did not always contain enough information. One person did not always receive one medicine as prescribed. Care plan changes were not always clearly recorded. The manager acted on these issues during or shortly after the inspection.
The previous rating was Requires Improvement. The report says improvements had been made and the home was no longer in breach of the regulations previously identified. Effective and Caring were not inspected during this visit, so their previous ratings were carried forward into the overall rating.
Enough staff
Inspectors found staffing levels were sufficient to meet people's needs and support them safely. Recruitment checks had also been completed in the records sampled.
“There were enough staff to meet people's needs and support them safely.” from the report
Activities and relationships
People were supported to keep in touch with relatives and join activities such as games, trips and one-to-one sessions. The home also provided spaces and resources for people who preferred quieter activities.
“Staff supported people to take part in a range of activities.” from the report
Approachable management
People, relatives and staff said the manager was approachable. The manager listened to the inspectors and acted quickly when issues were identified.
“The registered manager assisted us throughout the inspection, listened to the advice given and quickly acted upon any issues raised.” from the report
Infection control
Inspectors were assured that the home had measures to prevent and manage infections, including safe use of protective equipment and up-to-date policies.
“We were assured that the provider was responding effectively to risks and signs of infection.” from the report
Medicine not always given as prescribed
needs fixingInspectors found that one person had not always received one medicine as prescribed. The manager sought advice and provided evidence that improvements were made after the visit.
“We found one person had not always received one of their medicines as prescribed.” from the report
Short-stay records needed more detail
needs fixingRisk assessments and care records for people staying for shorter periods did not always include all the necessary information. The manager acted on this during and after the inspection.
“Records relating to short stays did not include all necessary information.” from the report
Care plan changes not always clear
needs fixingChanges to some care plans were not recorded clearly enough to show people's current care needs to staff. Updated documentation was sent to inspectors after this was raised.
“Changes to care plans were not always recorded in a way that made people's current care needs clear to staff.” from the report
- 01How do you now check that every medicine is given as prescribed and recorded correctly?
- 02What information do you collect and review for people staying for a short time?
- 03How do you make sure staff can see and understand changes to a person's current care needs?
- 04What were the previous ratings for Effective and Caring, which were not inspected during this visit?
- 05How do your regular audits identify and correct problems with medicines and care records?
This was a focused inspection of Safe, Responsive and Well-led only; Effective and Caring were not inspected and their previous ratings were carried forward into the overall rating. This explanation was written from the published report of 30 September 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.
What inspectors found, October 2020
Inspected but not rated; inspectors found safer staffing and infection controls, but ongoing medicines, care-record and oversight problems.
This was a targeted inspection on 9 September 2020. Inspectors checked whether problems from the previous inspection had been fixed, especially medicines, risk management, care records and quality checks. They also checked infection prevention and control because of COVID-19.
The home had enough staff, followed safe recruitment procedures and had effective infection prevention measures. Risk assessments had improved. People and relatives generally described personalised care and said staff were available to help.
Important problems remained. Medicines were not always managed safely, care records were not always accurate or current, and audits had not found these issues. The home was still in breach of Regulation 12 and Regulation 17.
The inspection was targeted, so the CQC did not change the previous ratings. The overall rating remained Requires Improvement, although this report itself records the areas inspected as Inspected but not rated.
Enough staff
Inspectors found enough staff to meet people's needs. Staffing arrangements had been changed, including at night, and people said they did not wait long for help.
“There were sufficient staff deployed to meet people's needs.” from the report
Infection control
Inspectors were assured that the home had suitable arrangements for preventing and managing infection, including PPE, testing, social distancing and outbreak management.
“We were assured that the provider was using PPE effectively and safely.” from the report
Person-centred end of life care
End of life care plans had improved. They were detailed, person centred and developed with people, relatives and outside professionals.
“End of life care plans were detailed and person centred.” from the report
Staff support and management confidence
People had confidence in the management team, and staff said they worked well together and felt supported.
“Staff said they worked well together as a team.” from the report
Medicines were not always safely managed
seriousSome creams and gels had passed their safe use period or were not removed when no longer needed. Instructions and body maps were sometimes incomplete, including for medicines used only when needed. This placed people at risk of harm.
“Medicines were not always managed safely.” from the report
Care records were incomplete or out of date
needs fixingImportant information was not always transferred into care plans. Reviews were more regular than before but did not always meet the home's monthly review policy.
“Care records were not always up to date or accurate.” from the report
Quality checks did not find problems
seriousAudits were in place but had not identified the medicines, record-keeping and other concerns found during the inspection. The home remained in breach of good governance requirements.
“Audit systems were in place but were not always effective.” from the report
- 01How do you now make sure creams and gels are removed when they expire or are no longer needed?
- 02How do staff get clear instructions for medicines used only when needed, and how are incomplete body maps corrected?
- 03How often are care plans reviewed now, and how do you make sure important updates are transferred into them?
- 04What changes have been made to the audit system since inspectors found that it had not identified these problems?
- 05What progress has been made in response to the CQC's action request and planned re-inspection?
This was a targeted inspection of specific concerns under Safe, Responsive and Well-led, including infection control; it did not assess the whole service, and the previous ratings remained unchanged. This explanation was written from the published report of 23 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 Stockton Lodge Care Home
3 rated inspections over 4 years: the service has improved, from Requires improvement to Good.
- September 2022Goodcurrent ratingSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- October 2020Inspected but not ratedSafe: Inspected but not ratedResponsive: Inspected but not ratedWell-led: Inspected but not rated
- August 2019Requires improvementstayed Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- June 2018Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: Requires improvementResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- April 2017
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 3 April 2017.
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.
Weigh the report against the rest
Fees, photos and reviews from families
How to read CQC ratings and reports
What to check when you visit
45 live-in carers within about an hour of Stockton-on-Tees
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 £980 to £1,190 a week. 40 can care for a couple. 10 years' experience on average.
“I found Alison to be kind , caring helpful concencious... Alison has a heart of gold”
“Petty introduced herself to Mum every time she was caring for her and responded very quickly to Mum if she was distressed in the night.”
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.