CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Tawny Lodge
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- Inspectors found suitable risk assessments, safe recruitment, enough staff and safe medicine systems. Staff also followed infection prevention procedures and kept the home clean.
- Effective?
- Good
- People's needs were assessed and reviewed. Staff had suitable induction, training and support, and worked with health professionals when needed.
- Caring?
- Good
- Staff treated people with dignity and respect and used verbal and non-verbal communication to understand their choices. Families said communication with staff was good.
- Responsive?
- Good
- Care plans were current and personalised. People were supported with activities, community visits and independent living skills, and complaints were handled appropriately.
- Well-led?
- Good
- The manager and team leaders were described as approachable and open to feedback. Regular checks, meetings and surveys were used to monitor and improve the service.
What inspectors found, March 2020
Rated Good; inspectors found safe, respectful and well-organised respite care across all five areas.
The inspection took place on 03 March 2020. One inspector spoke with a person using the service, observed another person's care, spoke with six staff and six families, and checked care, medicine, recruitment and management records.
The home provides planned short breaks for up to four people with learning or physical disabilities, sensory impairment, autism or dementia. Inspectors found enough trained staff, safe medicine arrangements, clean surroundings and care plans that reflected people's needs.
People were supported to make choices and stay as independent as possible. Families gave very positive feedback about the care and communication. All five areas were rated Good, which was the same as at the previous inspection published in August 2017.
Safe staffing and medicines
Inspectors found enough staff to meet people's needs and support activities and community trips. Medicines were handled safely, with staff competency checks in place.
“There were enough staff on duty to meet people's needs, to enable people to take part in social activities and to go out into the community.” from the report
Kind and respectful support
Staff understood people's preferences, supported their independence and treated them with dignity. People were helped to make choices about their daily lives.
“People were treated with compassion, dignity and respect.” from the report
Personalised communication
Staff used different communication methods, including Makaton, symbols and speech. Care plans included people's communication needs and reasonable adjustments were made where needed.
“We observed staff and people communicating using Makaton and symbols, as well as verbally.” from the report
Activities and independence
People took part in activities in the home and community, and were encouraged to develop everyday skills such as cooking, making drinks and shopping.
“People were encouraged to develop independent living skills during their stay.” from the report
Open management
Families and staff said the management team was approachable and listened to concerns. Feedback and complaints were used to make changes and improve practice.
“Families said the service was open, honest and transparent.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How will you assess and record my relative's specific risks before their first respite stay?
- 02How will staff communicate with my relative if they do not use speech?
- 03How will you support my relative's medicines, health needs and independence during their stay?
- 04What activities and community outings could my relative take part in?
- 05How will you keep me informed about my relative's stay and respond if I raise a concern?
This was a planned inspection covering the home, the care provided and all five CQC questions; the report says the previous Good ratings remained unchanged. This explanation was written from the published report of 19 March 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.
What inspectors found, August 2017
Tawny Lodge was rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised short-break care across all five areas.
This was a comprehensive inspection on 4 July 2017. Inspectors spoke with people, relatives, staff and health professionals. They looked around the home and checked care plans, medicines, training, recruitment and safety records.
The home provided planned short breaks for people with learning and physical disabilities, sensory impairment and autism. Inspectors found enough trained staff, safe medicines systems, detailed risk assessments and suitable emergency plans. People were supported to make choices, stay independent and take part in activities.
All five areas were rated Good: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. The home remained Good, matching its previous overall rating. Improvements in following the Mental Capacity Act had been sustained since a focused inspection in January 2017.
Safe staffing
Staffing was planned around the number of people staying and their level of need. Inspectors found there were enough staff to provide safe support.
“There were enough staff to meet the needs of people who used the service.” from the report
Respectful care
Staff respected privacy and dignity during personal care and everyday support. Relatives described the care as kind and reassuring.
“People were supported by caring staff who respected their privacy and dignity.” from the report
Personalised support
Support plans recorded people's individual needs, preferences and interests. Activities included shopping, baking, trips out and other tailored opportunities.
“The care plans we looked at were person centred and showed that people's needs had been individually assessed.” from the report
Independence
Staff encouraged people to make choices and develop everyday skills, such as preparing drinks, shopping and learning to live more independently.
“People's independence skills were promoted whenever possible and they were encouraged to make themselves drinks or snacks if they were able to.” from the report
Quality monitoring
The home used regular audits, staff meetings and feedback from families and people using the service to monitor quality.
“Monthly audits were completed and trends could be identified if action was needed.” from the report
Medication error
minorInspectors found one medication error during their checks. The report says appropriate action was taken, but families may wish to ask what happened and what was changed afterwards.
“One error was noticed and appropriate action taken.” from the report
- 01How will you assess and update my relative's risk plans and personal emergency evacuation plan?
- 02What happened with the medication error found at the inspection, and what action was taken to prevent a repeat?
- 03How will you support my relative's communication needs, choices and independence during a short break?
- 04How do you decide which staff and how many staff are needed for each person's stay?
- 05How will you consider my relative's interests, friendships and compatibility with other people staying at the home?
This was a comprehensive inspection covering Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led; the home remained Good in all five areas, with improvements since the focused inspection in January 2017 noted under Effective. This explanation was written from the published report of 22 August 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 Tawny Lodge
4 rated inspections over 5 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- March 2020Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- August 2017Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- January 2017Goodstayed GoodEffective: Requires improvement
- August 2015GoodSafe: GoodEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- April 2014
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 28 April 2014.
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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28 live-in carers within about an hour of North Yorkshire
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 £1,010 to £1,290 a week. 27 can care for a couple. 12 years' experience on average.
“Carla has been a god send with the implementation of bringing mum back home from respite care.”
“She was always 'just present enough': attentive, available, kind and engaging, but without ever over-stepping any boundary”
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.