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CQC report explained · a residential care home

What the CQC found at Thornton Lodge Limited

Goodpublished 4 January 2019, 7 years ago

Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.

The five questions inspectors ask
Safe?
Good
Are people protected from harm? Staffing, medicines, infection control, safeguarding.
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
Inspectors found an open culture, supportive management and effective checks on care, medicines, complaints, accidents and the environment. Feedback was used to identify improvements.
The latest report, explained

What inspectors found, January 2019

Thornton Lodge Limited was rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised care, with a few minor improvements suggested.

This was an unannounced comprehensive inspection on 11 December 2018. Inspectors spoke with 12 people, a GP, three staff members and the registered manager. They reviewed care records, staff files and information held by the CQC.

The home was rated Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. People said they felt safe and staff knew their needs well. Inspectors found suitable staffing, safe medicines practice, good training, personalised care plans, activities and access to healthcare.

The report says the rating remained Good, as at the previous inspection in May 2016. Inspectors found no serious risks or concerns. They did identify a few minor points, including adding photographs to medicines profiles and preparing personal emergency evacuation plans.

What inspectors praised
  • People felt safe

    People told inspectors they felt safe and secure. Staff understood safeguarding and how to report concerns.

    “People continued to feel safe at Thornton Lodge.” from the report
  • Kind and respectful care

    Staff knew people well and supported them at their own pace. Inspectors saw positive interactions and respect for privacy and independence.

    “We observed staff supporting people in a kind and caring way throughout our inspection.” from the report
  • Personalised support

    Care plans included people's preferences, backgrounds, beliefs and needs. People and those close to them were involved in reviews.

    “We saw individualised support plans were in place that provided clear information for staff on how to deliver people's care.” from the report
  • Activities and community life

    People could take part in activities at the home and in the community, including outings, shopping, church and visits to the library.

    “A variety of activities were available including playing bingo, art work, sewing and other group outings.” from the report
  • Good management checks

    The home had regular checks covering areas such as medicines, care plans, accidents, complaints and the environment. The report describes the records as well maintained.

    “We saw documented evidence that showed the service had effective audit systems in place and these were kept up to date.” from the report
What inspectors were concerned about
  • Emergency evacuation plans

    minor

    Inspectors recommended that the home prepare individual plans explaining the support each person would need to leave safely in an emergency.

    “It is recommended the registered manager draws up personal emergency evacuation plans (PEEP) for people which detail the individual support people require from staff to respond safely in an emergency.” from the report
  • Recording keyworker meetings

    minor

    The manager planned to introduce and record regular monthly meetings between keyworkers and the people they supported. This was intended to keep people involved in their care planning.

    “The registered manager discussed the plan to record the progress of keyworkers working with people to achieve their care plan objectives.” from the report
Questions to ask them, based on this report
  1. 01Have photographs now been added to each person's medicines profile, and how do staff check they are giving medicines to the right person?
  2. 02Have personal emergency evacuation plans been prepared for my relative, and when were they last reviewed?
  3. 03How will my relative take part in regular care plan reviews and monthly keyworker meetings?
  4. 04How would you meet my relative's specific mental health, learning disability, health or support needs?
  5. 05What activities and community outings would be available for my relative, and how would staff support them to take part?

This was an unannounced comprehensive inspection covering all five questions, and the ratings remained Good from the previous inspection in May 2016. This explanation was written from the published report of 4 January 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.

The story over the years

Every inspection of Thornton Lodge Limited

3 rated inspections over 4 years: the service has improved, from Requires improvement to Good.

  1. January 2019Goodcurrent ratingstayed Good
    Safe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good

    Read what inspectors found at Thornton Lodge Limited →

  2. June 2016Goodup from Requires improvement
    Safe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good

    We are reading this report · the original is on cqc.org.uk

  3. April 2015Requires improvement
    Safe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  4. June 2014

    Report published without a new overall rating.

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  5. May 2013

    Report published without a new overall rating.

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  6. January 2013

    Report published without a new overall rating.

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  7. May 2012

    Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 2 May 2012.

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.

Next steps

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