14 July 2022
During an inspection looking at part of the service
Croft Lodge is a residential care home providing the regulated activity of accommodation for persons who require nursing or personal care. The service can provide care and support for up to 24 people. At the time of our inspection there were 21 people using the service.
Croft Lodge is a large adapted domestic property in the seaside town of Teignmouth. It has gardens and sea views from some aspects.
People's experience of using this service and what we found
People received safe care and support and they told us they felt safe living at Croft Lodge. Staff understood safeguarding procedures and were confident in reporting any concerns. Risks to people's safety were assessed and well managed, and people's care plans detailed current risks and individual needs.
There were sufficient numbers of staff who were safely recruited to meet people's needs.
Medicines were well managed, and the registered manager had worked closely with pharmacies in the area to ensure the local pharmacy staff shortages did not impact delivery of peoples’ prescribed medicines. Staff received training in relation to the safe administration of medicines and their competencies were checked to ensure safe practice.
Infection control measures were robustly followed, and staff had access to sufficient personal protective equipment (PPE).
People's care needs were assessed before they went to live at the service, to ensure their needs could be fully met.
Staff received an induction when they first commenced work at the service and ongoing training that enabled them to have the skills and knowledge to provide effective care.
People were supported to eat and drink enough and staff placed a strong emphasis on the dining experience to ensure it was enjoyed by all.
Staff supported people to live healthier lives and access healthcare services. The service worked in partnership with outside agencies.
The service had a welcoming atmosphere where visitors were welcomed and encouraged. The premises were homely and currently undergoing a re-furbishment and refresh.
People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives 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.
People's health and social care needs were managed well. There were positive relationships with professionals which supported people's overall wellbeing. Staff provided care and support in a very caring and meaningful way. They knew people well and had built up kind and compassionate relationships with them.
The service was well managed. People, relatives and staff were very positive about the leadership of the service and praised the management team highly, especially the registered manager. There were systems in place to monitor the quality of the service. Actions were taken and improvements were made when required.
Staff felt well supported and said the registered manager was open and approachable. The provider was closely involved and there were good communication channels across the staff team.
Rating at last inspection
The last rating for this service was requires improvement (published 16 May 2019.
Why we inspected
We received concerns in relation to safeguarding and medicines management. As a result, we undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of safe, responsive and well led only. For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating.
The overall rating for the service has changed from Requires Improvement to Good based on the findings of this inspection.
We found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm from these concerns. Please see the safe and well led sections of this full report.
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.
You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Croft Lodge on our website at www.cqc.org.uk
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.