Lyons Court is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and personal care under a contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premise and the care provided and both were looked at during this inspection. Lyons Court accommodates up to 26 people in one adapted building. At the time of our inspection 22 people were using the service.This inspection took place on 14 November 2017. The inspection was unannounced, this meant the staff and provider did not know we would be visiting.
At the last inspection on 3 December 2015 the service was rated ‘Good’. At this inspection we found that overall the service required improvement. This is the first time this service has been rated requires improvement.
Since the last inspection a new manager has been appointed and had taken up post. 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.
Most people spoke positively about the service and the care that was provided. They told us they were listened to and staff were kind and caring.
People told us that they felt safe. Staff were clear about what was abuse and the steps that they should take to protect people. Risk’s to people’s daily life’s had been assessed. However, some risk assessments did not provide enough detailed information to ensure people were kept safe from harm.
Checks were undertaken on staff suitability for the role and there were sufficient numbers of staff available to meet the needs of the people living in the service. However, staff were not always deployed effectively to meet people's needs.
There were adequate systems in place for the safe administration of medication and people received their medicines as intended.
Staff received an induction to prepare them for their role and additional training was provided to support their learning and development. However, competencies were not carried out to ensure staff had understood the training and were putting it into practice. We have made a recommendation about this.
Staff had understanding of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS).
People who lived in the home were positive about the quality of the food and our observations were that people enjoyed their meals.
Care plans did not consistently reflect people’s needs which meant that some people were at risk of receiving inconsistent care. We have made a recommendation about this.
People had some meaningful activities offered but only during the weekday. We have made a recommendation about this.
The manager was enthusiastic and motivated in their job role.
Complaints were taken seriously and investigated. Staff did not always feel fully communicated to by the management team.
There were systems in place to drive improvement but these would benefit from clearer documentation to ensure clear oversight of what is required and a timescale for any actions to be completed by.