Archived: Lightbowne Hall

Updated 17 March 2021

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 CQC’s response to the coronavirus pandemic we are looking at the preparedness of care homes in relation to infection prevention and control. This was a targeted inspection looking at the infection control and prevention measures the provider has in place.

This inspection took place on 4 March 2021 and was announced.

Updated 17 March 2021

About the service

Lightbowne Hall is a residential care home that provides personal care and accommodation for up to 52 people, some of whom are living with dementia. There were 44 people living there at the time of our inspection.

People’s experience of using this service

Staffing arrangements had improved and were regularly reviewed by the registered manager to ensure these continually supported people's safety.

Staff were recruited safely; they received regular support and training. New staff were provided with an induction which provided them with the relevant knowledge and skills for their roles. The registered manager reviewed staffing arrangements on a regular basis, so they could continually improve these when required to effectively meet people's individual needs.

There was a positive and relaxed atmosphere in the home which we found to be homely and well run. People living in the home interacted freely and staff were seen to be caring and supportive.

People were supported to receive their medicines and were happy with the arrangements in place for staff to assist them with their medicines. However, we found some PRN (as required) protocols needed further detail to inform staff when people may need to administer these medicines. We passed this feedback on to the registered manager who ensured they were reviewed during the inspection.

People we spoke with told us staff responded to their health needs. People were supported to eat and drink enough and had a choice as to where to eat their meals. We did however receive a small number of negative comments regarding the quality of food on offer, which the service was already aware of and plans were in place to resolve this.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People's needs were assessed, and they had care plans in place. However, we found two of the five care plans we looked at had not been updated to reflect a recent change in equipment used. On the second day of the inspection the care plans had been updated. We made a recommendation about this.

People received caring and kind support from staff who respected their dignity and privacy. They were encouraged to be independent and staff understood their needs well and understood how to care for them

in a personalised way.

The environment was adapted to meet people's needs. Regular monitoring of the home ensured that quality of care was regularly reviewed, and improvement measures were in place.

At this inspection, we found the managerial oversight of the service had improved and the quality assurance checks in place enabled the registered manager and senior staff to pro-actively respond to identified events.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was requires improvement (published 24 August 2018) where three breaches of regulations were identified. The provider completed an action plan and attended a meeting with CQC after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve. At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.