CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at The Laurels Care Home
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
What inspectors found, February 2021
The Laurels Care Home was inspected but not rated; inspectors were assured that infection control measures were being followed.
This was an announced, targeted inspection on 16 February 2021. It checked infection prevention and control because of coronavirus outbreaks in care homes.
Inspectors found the home clean, well ventilated and uncluttered. Staff were seen using protective equipment correctly, cleaning their hands frequently and maintaining distance where possible.
Inspectors were assured about visitor safety, admissions, testing, protective equipment, social distancing, hygiene and managing outbreaks. The home was not given an overall quality rating, and the inspection did not assess all five areas of care.
Clean and well maintained
The home was clean, well ventilated and uncluttered while still feeling homely.
“The home looked and smelled clean, and was well ventilated and uncluttered, while still maintaining a homely feel.” from the report
Infection control
Staff used protective equipment appropriately, cleaned their hands frequently and followed distancing measures where possible.
“Staff were seen to be wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) appropriately and being careful to maintain social distance, where possible.” from the report
Family contact and activities
An activities coordinator organised activities, offered one-to-one support and helped people stay in touch with family and friends.
“The activities coordinator also helped people to stay in touch with their family and friends by phone and on-line face to face chats.” from the report
Responding to feedback
The management team acted quickly after receiving advice from an infection control nurse.
“Best practice feedback had recently been provided by a visiting infection control nurse and, as a result, changes had been implemented quickly and effectively.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How are you currently preventing visitors from catching and spreading infections?
- 02How do you make sure staff use protective equipment safely and get regular testing?
- 03How do you support people who cannot stay in their rooms for long periods?
- 04How do people keep in touch with their families and friends?
- 05What changes were made after the infection control nurse’s feedback, and how are they checked now?
This was an announced, targeted inspection of infection prevention and control practices only; the service was inspected but not rated and the other care areas were not assessed. This explanation was written from the published report of 26 February 2021 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, December 2018
Rated Good; inspectors found kind, safe and responsive care, with some smaller issues around staffing deployment, medicine storage temperature and meals.
The inspection was unannounced and took place on 7 November 2018. Inspectors spoke with people living at the home, relatives, staff and other professionals. They observed care and checked care records, medicines, recruitment files and quality checks.
The home was rated Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Inspectors found people were protected from abuse, received medicines as prescribed, and had enough staff to meet their needs.
Staff were described as kind and caring. People received personalised support, enjoyed a range of activities and had access to healthcare. The home had systems to listen to people and relatives and to act on complaints and improvements.
Inspectors did identify some issues. Afternoon staffing had recently been increased after staff raised concerns, medicine storage had sometimes been too warm, some rooms needed work, and some people waited for meals that could be cold.
Personalised care
Care plans contained detailed information about people’s needs, preferences and changing circumstances.
“All plans we looked at were detailed and were a working document to guide staff in how best to support people.” from the report
Activities and community links
People could choose from group activities, one-to-one sessions and events involving the local community.
“People were encouraged to participate in activities but never pressured to do so, if they didn't want to join in they were asked if they would like to watch.” from the report
Responsive management
The provider acted after staff raised concerns about afternoon staffing and increased the numbers of staff.
“The staff told us the registered manager liaised with the provider, who immediately agreed to increase the staffing numbers.” from the report
Good oversight
Audits were used to find problems and create action plans. Meetings also allowed people and relatives to influence the service.
“We found the audits were effective and identified areas of improvement.” from the report
Afternoon staffing pressure
needs fixingStaff said afternoons could be very busy and that they sometimes struggled to meet needs promptly. Staffing was increased after this was raised, but ask how the arrangement is now monitored.
“Staff told us they were meeting people's needs, but it was very busy and at times and struggled to meet people's needs in a timely way with the staff on duty.” from the report
Medicine storage temperature
needs fixingThe medicine storage room had been hotter than the recommended maximum. Air conditioning units had been ordered, but the report records this as an issue needing action.
“However, the temperature in the medicine storage room had been higher than the recommended maximum.” from the report
Some rooms needed cleaning improvements
minorSome store rooms and sluice rooms needed work so their surfaces and floors could be cleaned effectively.
“We identified some store rooms and sluice rooms required some work to ensure surfaces and floors were able to be effectively cleaned.” from the report
Meals in bedrooms
needs fixingSome people who ate in their rooms said meals could take a while to arrive and could sometimes be cold. The manager agreed to discuss this with them.
“However, some of these people commented that at times they waited a while for their meals and on occasions they could be cold.” from the report
- 01What changes were made to afternoon staffing, and how do you check that staff can meet people’s needs promptly?
- 02Were the air conditioning units installed in the medicine storage rooms, and how are storage temperatures now checked?
- 03Have the store rooms and sluice rooms been altered so that their surfaces and floors can be cleaned effectively?
- 04What changes were made after people reported that meals served in bedrooms could be delayed or cold?
- 05How are people who stay in their rooms supported to take part in activities and receive regular one-to-one stimulation?
This was an unannounced inspection of the whole service and all five CQC questions, and it was the first inspection since a change in registration in November 2017. This explanation was written from the published report of 12 December 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 The Laurels Care Home
Each visit the CQC has published, newest first, back to the day the home was registered.
- February 2021Inspected but not ratedcurrent ratingSafe: Inspected but not rated
- December 2018GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- November 2017
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 22 November 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.
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