Crossfields Lodge

Updated 24 December 2022

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

As part of this inspection we looked at the infection control and prevention measures in place. This was conducted so we can understand the preparedness of the service in preventing or managing an infection outbreak, and to identify good practice we can share with other services.

Inspection team

The inspection team consisted of one inspector.

Service and service type

Crossfields Lodge is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing and/or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement dependent on their registration with us. Crossfields Lodge is a care home without nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

At the time of our inspection there was not a registered manager in post. A new manager had just started in post and had applied to register. We are currently assessing this application.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because the service is small, and we wanted to be sure the person would be home.

Inspection activity started on 27 October 2022 and ended on 24 November 2022. We visited the service on 27 October and 2 November 2022.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since they registered with the Commission. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We contacted the person’s relative to hear their views. We also spoke with or received written feedback from three health and social care professionals involved in the person’s care, which included, Speech and Language Therapist and Social Worker. We met the person and observed them interacting with staff. We spoke with five staff: manager, area manager, deputy manager, senior support worker and support worker.

We reviewed a range of records. This included the person’s care and medicines records, incident and investigation reports, and meetings of minutes involving health and social care professionals. We also reviewed two staff recruitment records, staff rosters, staff training records and records relating to the quality assurance of the service, including audits, and minutes of meetings.

Updated 24 December 2022

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices and independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ is the guidance CQC follows to make assessments and judgements about services supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people and providers must have regard to it.

About the service

Crossfields Lodge is a residential care home providing personal care. The service provides support to people with learning disabilities and autistic people. Although registered for up to two people, the provider had decided for the foreseeable future, to just accommodate the current person using the service.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

Right Support:

Staff were supporting the person to take part in activities and pursue their interests in their local area. Staff were working with the person, and those who had a significant involvement in the person’s life to support them to have a meaningful life and to achieve their aspirations and goals.

The person was being supported to have maximum choice and control of their life and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

Staff knew how the person preferred to take their medicines to achieve the best possible health outcome. Staff supported the person to access specialist health and social care support in the community.

Staff supported the person to make decisions following best practice in decision-making. Staff were continually learning and developing the person’s communication systems to ensure it was tailored to the person’s needs.

Right Care:

Potential risks to the person’s safety were not always identified and acted on, this had put the person at risk. Improvements were needed to monitor staff’s practice and ensure all staff felt confident in managing risks.

The person’s care, treatment and support plans reflected their range of needs and this promoted their wellbeing and enjoyment of life.

Right Culture:

The service's quality assurance, monitoring and oversight arrangements were not robust and required improvement

The person led an inclusive and empowered life because of the ethos, values, attitudes and behaviours of the management and staff. Where staff did not demonstrate the provider’s values, this had been addressed by the management.

The person and those important to them, were involved in planning their care. Staff kept the person’s care plan under review, updating as they got to know the person better, including what made them happy. The person’s quality of life was enhanced by the service’s culture of improvement and inclusivity.

Rating at the last inspection.

This service was registered with us on 4 May 2021 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.

Enforcement

We have identified a breach of regulation in relation to risk at this inspection.

Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.

Follow up

We will request an action plan from the provider to understand what they will do to improve the standard of safety. We will work alongside the provider and local authority to monitor progress. We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.