CQC report explained · a nursing home
What the CQC found at The Lawns Nursing and Residential Care
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- Inspectors were assured that the home was using PPE safely, following social distancing and shielding guidance, and had systems for testing, cleaning, laundry and managing outbreaks.
- Effective?
- Good
- Does the care work? Training, consent, food and drink, working with GPs and nurses.
- Caring?
- Good
- Are people treated with kindness and dignity?
- Responsive?
- Good
- Is care built around the person? Care plans, activities, complaints.
- Well-led?
- Good
- Is the home run well? The manager, the culture, how problems get found and fixed.
What inspectors found, March 2021
Inspected but not rated; inspectors were assured that infection prevention and visiting arrangements were in place.
The inspection took place on 2 March 2021 and was announced. It was a targeted inspection during the coronavirus pandemic, focused on infection prevention and control.
Inspectors were assured that the home used personal protective equipment safely, followed testing, shielding and social distancing guidance, and had suitable cleaning and laundry arrangements. They were also assured that the home had plans to prevent and manage outbreaks.
The home helped people keep in touch with family through improved Wi-Fi, a dedicated telephone line and a visiting booth. Families could visit people receiving end-of-life care, with measures in place to reduce infection risks.
The home was inspected but not rated. This means the report does not give a full overall quality rating or ratings for all five areas of care.
Infection control
Staff had infection prevention and control training and wore PPE correctly. Inspectors were assured that PPE, testing, hygiene and outbreak arrangements were being managed safely.
“We were assured that the provider was using PPE effectively and safely.” from the report
Family contact
The home improved its Wi-Fi and installed a dedicated telephone line so people could stay connected with relatives.
“People remained connected with their friends and families via the use of technology.” from the report
Outbreak planning
The registered manager had a contingency plan in place in case of an outbreak, alongside regular testing and vaccination arrangements.
“Should an outbreak occur the registered manager had a contingency plan in place.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01What visiting arrangements are currently in place, and how would these change if there was an infection outbreak?
- 02How are people and staff tested for infections, and how are the results managed?
- 03How would the home use its outbreak contingency plan if an outbreak occurred?
- 04How are contaminated laundry and high-touch areas managed now?
- 05How can residents contact family members if face-to-face visits are restricted?
This was an announced targeted inspection of infection prevention and control measures during the coronavirus pandemic; it was inspected but not rated and did not provide ratings for the other areas of care. This explanation was written from the published report of 30 March 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, July 2019
Rated Good; inspectors found kind, safe care, but care records needed more detail.
This was an unannounced planned inspection on 24 and 30 May 2019. The inspection team spoke with people living at the home, relatives, care staff, nurses and the registered manager. They checked care records, staff files, medicines records and other management records.
The overall rating was Good, with Good ratings for Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. People and relatives consistently praised the care. Inspectors saw staff being kind, attentive and respectful, and found enough staff to meet people's needs.
The main weakness was record keeping. Some care plans and daily notes did not contain enough detail, although care plans were rewritten during the inspection. Some staff also needed updated infection control training, and some applications for liberty restrictions still needed to be submitted.
Kind and respectful care
Inspectors found staff to be kind, friendly and attentive. People and relatives consistently said the care was good.
“People's preferences were respected, and staff were sensitive and attentive to people's needs.” from the report
Enough staff
People and staff said there were enough care and nursing staff. A dependency tool was used to adjust staffing when people's needs changed.
“There were sufficient numbers of care staff and nursing staff employed to ensure people's needs were met.” from the report
Safe medicines systems
Medicine records were clear and accurate, and medicines were received, stored and disposed of safely. Medicines were being given more promptly than at the previous inspection.
“Medicine administration records, as well as those relating to the medicines held in the home, were clear and well completed.” from the report
Strong leadership
The manager was described as committed and approachable. The home used audits, meetings and feedback to identify and act on improvements.
“Quality assurance processes, such as audits and staff meetings, ensured the registered manager and the provider had the information they required to monitor staff performance as well as the safety and quality of the care provided.” from the report
End of life care
The home worked with the local hospice and used care plans that recorded people's wishes and needs at the end of life.
“The Lawns is accredited with the local hospice for its end of life care.” from the report
Care records lacked detail
needs fixingTwo of the three care plans checked did not give enough detail about people's needs. Daily notes also needed more information to show what care had been provided.
“people's daily care notes needed more detail to record the care provided by staff” from the report
Some training updates outstanding
minorThe home was arranging updates to infection control training for some staff.
“The training records showed some staff required updates; this was being arranged by the registered manager.” from the report
Some liberty safeguard applications pending
needs fixingFor some people who were new to the home, applications for authorisation of restrictions on their liberty had not yet been submitted.
“The registered manager reported for some people new to the home, applications were still to be submitted, but these would be completed shortly.” from the report
- 01How will you make sure care plans and daily notes contain enough detail about my relative's needs and the care provided?
- 02Have all outstanding infection control training updates now been completed?
- 03Have all required applications for restrictions on people's liberty been submitted and authorised?
- 04How quickly are medicines given, and what staffing arrangements support the medicines round?
- 05How will you involve my relative and our family in reviewing their care plan and choices?
This was an unannounced planned inspection covering all five key questions, including both the care provided and the home environment. This explanation was written from the published report of 3 July 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.
Every inspection of The Lawns Nursing and Residential Care
2 rated inspections over 3 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- March 2021Inspected but not ratedcurrent ratingSafe: Inspected but not rated
Read what inspectors found at The Lawns Nursing and Residential Care →
- July 2019Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
Read what inspectors found at The Lawns Nursing and Residential Care →
- December 2016GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- January 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- August 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- December 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- November 2011
Report published without a new overall rating.
- January 2011
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 28 January 2011.
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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17 live-in carers within about an hour of Devon
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 £1,270 a week. 15 can care for a couple. 13 years' experience on average.
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