CQC report explained · a residential care home
Imperial Lodge
268 Lansbury Drive, Hayes, UB4 8SN
Rated Good: inspectors found the service performing well and meeting their expectations.
What inspectors found, March 2024
Imperial Lodge is rated Requires Improvement; inspectors found risks in staffing, recruitment and management, although people's care plans and medicines were generally handled well.
This was an unannounced, focused inspection on 24 January 2023. Two inspectors spoke with people and staff, and checked care records, medicines, staff files, rotas, complaints and quality checks.
The home was rated Requires Improvement overall. Safe and well-led were rated Requires Improvement. Inspectors found gaps in recruitment checks, staff training, induction, supervision and staffing levels. The home relied heavily on agency staff without showing that they had suitable training or induction.
Responsive was rated Good. People's care plans were detailed and regularly updated. People were supported with healthcare, daily living skills, activities and plans for moving on. Medicines were administered safely, although staff medicine skills were not assessed regularly.
The previous overall rating was Good in 2018. This inspection was prompted partly by a serious incident and did not examine that incident because it was subject to a criminal investigation. The provider was required to submit an action plan, and CQC issued a warning notice about governance.
Detailed risk plans
People had clear risk assessments and plans telling staff how to reduce risks at home and in the community.
“People's individual risk assessments were detailed, clear and comprehensive.” from the report
Safe medicines administration
Medicines were given as prescribed, records were completed properly and stocks matched the records. Staff competency checks were not regular, so this should still be discussed.
“People's medicines were managed safely to help ensure people received their medicines as prescribed and in line with national guidance.” from the report
Personalised care planning
Care plans reflected people's wishes, strengths and goals. They were reviewed as people's needs changed.
“People's needs were met in line with their wishes and preferences.” from the report
Support with independence
People were supported to build daily living skills, use the community, cook, clean and work towards greater independence.
“People were supported to maintain their independence and gain new skills.” from the report
Recruitment checks
seriousThe home could not show that all staff had been checked properly before working there. Some files lacked references, induction records or other recruitment information.
“The provider had not always followed appropriate procedures for recruiting staff.” from the report
Staffing and training
seriousThere were not enough suitably trained permanent staff, and the home relied on agency staff. The provider could not show that new or temporary staff had received suitable induction, supervision or competency checks.
“The provider relied on agency staff to cover staff vacancies but had not ensured these temporary staff were trained to meet the needs of the people who used the service.” from the report
Weak safety monitoring
seriousHealth and safety, infection control and incident audits had stopped or were irregular. The home also did not show that it had reflected properly on a serious incident or other events.
“The provider did not have effective arrangements to assess, monitor and mitigate the risks relating to the health, safety and welfare of people and staff.” from the report
Limited contact with the manager
needs fixingSome people and staff said they had little contact with the registered manager. One person said they did not really like living at the home and wanted to move on.
“One person who used the service told us they never saw the registered manager.” from the report
- 01What action has been taken to make sure every new staff member has completed recruitment checks, induction and competency checks before working with residents?
- 02How many permanent staff are currently in post, and how do you make sure agency staff are trained for people's mental health and support needs?
- 03How often are staff now supervised and assessed in de-escalation, emotional support and medicines management?
- 04What changes have been made to health and safety, infection control and incident audits since the inspection?
- 05How do staff learn about each resident's interests, goals and worries, and how often can residents speak with the registered manager?
This was an unannounced focused inspection of Safe, Responsive and Well-led; Effective and Caring were not inspected and the overall rating used previous ratings for those areas. This explanation was written from the published report of 22 March 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.
Every inspection of Imperial Lodge
5 rated inspections over 9 years: the service has held its Requires improvement rating throughout.
- March 2024Requires improvementcurrent ratingSafe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- February 2022Inspected but not ratedSafe: Inspected but not rated
- March 2018Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- January 2016Goodup from Requires improvementSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- September 2015Requires improvementstayed Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- January 2015Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- April 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- December 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- January 2012
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 19 January 2012.
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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