Autumn Lodge Residential Home
Liverpool, L9 · 0.5 km
Residential
Rated 6 years agocare home
CQC report explained · a nursing home, run by Oceancross
Grace Lodge Nursing Home
Grace Road, Walton, Liverpool, L9 2DB
Goodpublished 12 May 2025, 15 months ago
Rated Good: inspectors found the service performing well and meeting their expectations.
The latest report, explained
What inspectors found, January 2024
Rated Requires Improvement; inspectors found safer and more effective care but medicines management still needs work.
Inspectors visited Grace Lodge Nursing Home in September 2023 to check if improvements had been made since the last inspection when the home was rated Inadequate and placed in Special Measures.
They found the home had made progress, especially in effective care and staff support, and the overall rating improved to Requires Improvement. However, medicines were not always managed safely, and some records were incomplete or missing.
The home was clean, staff were kind and well trained, and people were supported to make choices and maintain independence. The manager and staff showed commitment to improving the service and worked well with health professionals.
While some safety concerns remained, the home was no longer in Special Measures, and inspectors will continue to monitor progress.
What inspectors praised
Caring and respectful staff
Staff were kind, patient and promoted dignity and independence.
“Staff were kind, patient and respectful towards people and dignity and independence was promoted.” from the report
Effective staff training and support
Staff received relevant training and felt well supported by management.
“Staff told us they were well supported, and records showed they received regular supervision and an annual appraisal.” from the report
Person-centred care
Care plans reflected people's choices and needs.
“People received person centred care. Care plans were written to reflect their choices, likes and dislikes.” from the report
What inspectors were concerned about
Incomplete medicines records
seriousTimes medicines were given were not always recorded, risking incorrect dosing intervals.
“For time specific medicines such as paracetamol, we found the actual time the medicine was given was not always recorded.” from the report
Window restrictors unsafe
needs fixingSome window restrictors did not meet safety regulations and had to be replaced during inspection.
“The audit had not identified window restrictors in use were not fit for purpose or in line with HSE regulations.” from the report
Questions to ask them, based on this report
- 01What changes have you made to improve how medicines are managed and recorded?
- 02How do you ensure people receive medicines at the right times and doses?
- 03Can you explain how you keep people safe from risks in the home, such as window safety?
- 04How do you involve families in decisions about care and keep them informed?
- 05What training and support do staff receive to provide good care?
This was a focused inspection of Safe, Effective and Well-led only; other ratings carry over from the last inspection. This explanation was written from the published report of 9 January 2024 by an AI system and checked against the report text: every quoted line appears in the report. It is a guide to the report, not a substitute for it. Read the full report on cqc.org.uk.
An earlier report, explained
What inspectors found, December 2023
Rated Inadequate and placed in special measures; inspectors found serious problems with medicines, risk management, consent and service leadership.
Inspectors visited without notice on 3 and 9 January 2023. They spoke with people living in the home, relatives and staff. They reviewed care records, medicine records, staff files and management records.
The home was rated Inadequate overall. Medicines were not always available, stored safely or given according to professional guidance. Risk assessments and care plans were incomplete or inaccurate, including information about diabetes, nutrition, catheters and emergency evacuation.
Inspectors also found that consent was not always recorded correctly. The home's checks had failed to identify or fix important problems, and some incidents had not been reported to CQC. The home was visibly clean, but some food handling and other infection control practices were unsafe.
There were enough staff during the visits, and people described staff as kind and said they felt safe. The provider had started some improvements, but CQC said it was not yet assured that these would be sustained. The home was placed in special measures and CQC proposed cancelling the provider's registration.
What inspectors praised
Enough staff
Inspectors observed enough staff to support people safely, and requests for help were answered promptly.
“We observed there to be enough staff on duty to support people safely.” from the report
Kind care
People and relatives described staff positively. Inspectors saw kind and compassionate support during meals.
“We observed people being supported with their meals in a kind and compassionate way by staff.” from the report
Clean home
The home was visibly clean, although cleaning records did not show all tasks clearly.
“The home was observed to be visibly clean.” from the report
Safe recruitment
Inspectors found that recruitment checks were completed to assess whether new staff were suitable to work at the home.
“A range of pre-employment checks were completed on new applicants to ensure they were suitable to work at Grace Lodge.” from the report
What inspectors were concerned about
Medicines were not safely managed
seriousSome prescribed medicines were unavailable because of stock problems. Records did not always show when time-specific medicines were given, and staff did not always follow professional guidance for specialised administration.
“The failure to ensure medicines were managed safely, placed people at risk of avoidable harm.” from the report
Risks were not recorded properly
seriousSome risk assessments were missing or inaccurate, and care plans did not give staff enough guidance. This included risks involving nutrition, diabetes, catheters and emergency evacuation.
“A lack of detailed and accurate information regarding people's identified risks, placed people at risk of avoidable harm.” from the report
Consent records were wrong
seriousSome consent forms were signed by home representatives even when people had capacity to make their own decisions, or when a legally authorised family member should have signed.
“A failure to obtain consent in line with the MCA 2005, is a breach of Regulation 11 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014.” from the report
Poor management oversight
seriousAudits had not identified several problems, and action was not always taken when issues were found. Four incidents between April and November 2022 had not been reported to CQC.
“Governance systems in place had failed to drive necessary improvements to the safety and quality of the service people received.” from the report
Unsafe infection practices
needs fixingStaff were seen carrying uncovered food into rooms and placing trays on beds before moving to another room. A nurse was also observed using an unsanitary practice during PEG care.
“This practice was unhygienic and placed people at risk of possible infection.” from the report
Questions to ask them, based on this report
- 01What changes have been made to ensure every person's prescribed medicine is in stock, stored safely and given at the correct time?
- 02How are you checking that care plans and risk assessments accurately cover nutrition, diabetes, choking, catheters and emergency evacuation?
- 03How do you now record consent, including where a person has capacity or a family member has legal authority to decide?
- 04What evidence can you show that incidents are now reviewed, reported to CQC when required and used to prevent repeat problems?
- 05What action has been taken to improve food handling, PEG care and cleaning records?
This was a focused inspection of Safe and Well-led, expanded to include Effective; Caring and Responsive were not inspected during this visit and other ratings were carried over from the previous inspection. This explanation was written from the published report of 4 December 2023 by an AI system and checked against the report text: every quoted line appears in the report. It is a guide to the report, not a substitute for it. Read the full report on cqc.org.uk.
The story over the years
Every inspection of Grace Lodge Nursing Home
8 rated inspections over 9 years: the service has improved, from Inadequate to Requires improvement.
- January 2024Requires improvementcurrent ratingup from InadequateSafe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- December 2023Inadequatedown from GoodSafe: InadequateEffective: InadequateWell-led: Inadequate
- September 2021Goodup from Requires improvementSafe: GoodWell-led: Good
- September 2020Requires improvementstayed Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- May 2019Requires improvementdown from GoodSafe: GoodEffective: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- January 2017Goodup from Requires improvementSafe: GoodEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- September 2015Requires improvementup from InadequateSafe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- June 2015InadequateSafe: InadequateEffective: InadequateCaring: Requires improvementResponsive: InadequateWell-led: Inadequate
- September 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- January 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- July 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- February 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- April 2011
Report published without a new overall rating.
- January 2011
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 27 January 2011.
Ratings and report dates from the Care Quality Commission. A service can also be visited without a new rating being published, so the timeline shows published inspections, not every contact the CQC has had with the service.
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