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CQC report explained · a nursing home, run by Barchester Healthcare

Laurel Bank

Westbourne Road, Lancaster, LA1 5EF

Goodpublished 12 January 2024, 2 years ago

Rated Good: inspectors found the service performing well and meeting their expectations.

The five questions inspectors ask
Safe?
Good
Inspectors found people were protected from abuse and avoidable harm. They found sufficient staffing, safe medicine systems, suitable recruitment checks and measures to manage risks such as choking, malnutrition and infection.
Effective?
Good
This question was not rated in this inspection.
Caring?
Good
This question was not rated in this inspection, although people and professionals described staff as caring.
Responsive?
Good
This question was not rated in this inspection.
Well-led?
Good
Inspectors found clear staff responsibilities, regular audits, feedback systems and effective work with outside agencies. The management team had introduced a process to monitor nutritional risks more closely.
The latest report, explained

What inspectors found, January 2024

Rated Good; inspectors found people were safe and the home was well led, after earlier concerns about nutrition and staff training were addressed.

This was an unannounced inspection on 20 December 2023. One inspector spoke with six people, a relative, a visiting professional, seven staff and two members of the management team. They also checked the building, care and medicine records, recruitment files and management systems.

The inspection was prompted partly by concerns about nutritional risks and staff training. The provider had taken effective action. Inspectors found no evidence that people were at risk of harm from these concerns.

The home was rated Good overall. Safe and Well-led were both rated Good. The report says this meant people's outcomes were consistently good and their feedback confirmed this. The previous rating was also Good, published on 7 March 2020.

What inspectors praised
  • People felt safe

    People told inspectors they felt safe and could get help promptly. Inspectors found staff were available and familiar with people's needs.

    Yes, there's always a staff member around, so when I press the call bell I never have to wait long.from the report
  • Managing health risks

    The home reviewed risks linked to choking and malnutrition. Staff received choking and swallowing difficulty training, and the home worked with outside agencies to improve records and risk assessments.

    This included risks linked to nutritional intake, such as choking and malnutrition.from the report
  • Safe medicines support

    Inspectors found medicines were administered safely, with regular staff competency checks and audits. Staff followed people's care plans, risk assessments and preferences, including when people chose to manage their own medicines.

    Staff followed the person's medication care plan, risk assessment and preferences, such as when they chose to self-administer.from the report
  • Clear management

    Managers had clear communication systems and used audits, meetings and surveys to monitor care and gather views. The home also worked closely with outside professionals.

    The registered manager had created clear lines of communication for staff to understand their responsibilities in retaining people's safety and wellbeing.from the report
What inspectors were concerned about

Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.

Questions to ask them, based on this report
  1. 01How do you now monitor each person's risk of choking or malnutrition, and how often are their risk assessments reviewed?
  2. 02What ongoing training and competency checks do staff receive for choking, swallowing difficulties and nutritional support?
  3. 03How do you decide whether someone can safely self-administer medicines, and how is this reviewed?
  4. 04How do staffing levels and the use of familiar staff match the needs of people living here?
  5. 05What changes were made after the earlier concerns about nutritional risk management and staff training?

This was an unannounced focused inspection of Safe and Well-led; the report did not give new ratings for Effective, Caring or Responsive. This explanation was written from the published report of 12 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.

The story over the years

Every inspection of Laurel Bank

5 rated inspections over 8 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.

  1. January 2024Goodcurrent ratingstayed Good
    Safe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good

    Read what inspectors found at Laurel Bank

  2. March 2020Goodup from Requires improvement
    Safe: GoodWell-led: Good

    We are reading this report · the original is on cqc.org.uk

  3. March 2019Requires improvementstayed Requires improvement
    Safe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  4. July 2018Requires improvementdown from Good
    Safe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: Requires improvementResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  5. April 2016Good
    Safe: GoodEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  6. November 2013

    Report published without a new overall rating.

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  7. July 2013

    Report published without a new overall rating.

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  8. May 2012

    Report published without a new overall rating.

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  9. February 2012

    Report published without a new overall rating.

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  10. February 2011

    Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 15 February 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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