Lowfield house Limited

Updated 2 March 2022

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

As part of the Care Quality Commission’s (CQC’s) response to the COVID-19 pandemic we are looking at how services manage infection control and visiting arrangements. This was a targeted inspection looking at the infection prevention and control measures the provider had in place. We also asked the provider about any staffing pressures the service was experiencing and whether this was having an impact on the service.

This inspection took place on 9 February 2022 and was announced. We gave the service one day’s notice of the inspection.

Updated 2 March 2022

We carried out an inspection of Lowfield house Limited on 23 and 25 April 2018. The first day was unannounced.

Lowfield house Limited is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. Care Quality Commission (CQC) regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Lowfield house Limited is located in the centre of Clitheroe in Lancashire. The service is registered to provide accommodation and personal care for up to 24 people. The service does not provide nursing care. There were 20 people accommodated at the time of the inspection. Accommodation is provided over two floors linked by a passenger lift. All bedrooms are single occupancy and 21 have ensuite facilities.

At the previous inspection on 2 and 3 October 2017, we found five breaches of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014, relating to the recruitment of new staff, staff training, the implementation of the Mental Capacity Act 2005, maintenance of the property and a continuing breach in relation to the governance arrangements. We also made a recommendation about ensuring people’s care plans fully reflected their personal preferences and the care they were receiving. Following the inspection, we asked the provider to take action to make improvements and to send us an action plan.

During this inspection, we found there had been improvements made to the recruitment policies and procedures, the provision of staff training, maintenance and servicing of the property and to the governance arrangements. We found improvements to risk and incident management, medicines management and care planning were ongoing.

The service was managed by a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

People told us they felt safe in the home and they were very happy with the service they received. People appeared comfortable in the company of staff. Safeguarding adults' procedures were in place and staff understood how to protect people from abuse. Staff treated people in a respectful and dignified manner and people's privacy was respected.

There were systems in place to manage people’s medicines although additional improvements to the systems were needed. Staff administering medicines had been trained and supervised to do this safely.

Risks associated with the environment and with people’s health and welfare had been assessed. There was a system in place to record accidents and incidents. However, the registered manager was aware further action was needed in order to monitor people’s skin integrity and to identify any patterns and trends associated with accidents.

Quality assurance and auditing processes had been improved to help the provider and the registered manager to identify and respond to matters needing attention. The systems to obtain the views of people, their visitors and staff had also been improved.

A safe and robust recruitment procedure was in place to ensure new staff would be suitable to care for vulnerable people. Arrangements were in place to make sure staff were trained and competent. People considered there were enough staff to support them when they needed any help.

Appropriate Deprivation of Liberty Safeguard (DoLS) applications had been made to the local authority and people's mental capacity to make their own decisions had been assessed. However, additional information was needed to ensure people’s preferences were met.

People had access to a number of activities inside the home and were supported to maintain relationships with friends and family. There were no restrictions placed on visiting times for friends and relatives. People told us they enjoyed the meals and their dietary preferences were met. We observed meal times were a relaxed experience. People had access to a GP and other health care professionals when they needed them.

People told us they were happy and did not have any complaints about the service they received. They knew how to raise their concerns and complaints and were confident they would be listened to.

There had been an improvement in the records relating to people’s care and support and people’s preferences and routines were being recorded. However, the registered manager was aware further improvements were needed to ensure staff were provided with clear guidance.

The home was clean and bright and appropriate aids and adaptations had been provided to help maintain people’s safety, independence and comfort. There were checks in place to ensure systems and equipment were safe and serviced.