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CQC report explained · a residential care home, run by Mentaur

Lavanda Villa

41 Halsey Road, Kempston, Bedford, MK42 8AT

Goodpublished 17 November 2023, 2 years ago

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

The five questions inspectors ask
Safe?
Good
Inspectors found enough suitable staff, safe medicine systems, appropriate safeguarding arrangements and risk plans that supported people while allowing positive risks.
Effective?
Good
People received support from trained staff, had their health needs reviewed and were helped with food, drink, choices and access to health services. This rating improved from Requires Improvement at the previous inspection.
Caring?
Good
This question was not inspected during this visit. Its previous rating was used to calculate the overall rating.
Responsive?
Good
This question was not inspected during this visit. Its previous rating was used to calculate the overall rating.
Well-led?
Good
Inspectors found effective quality checks, an open culture, good communication with relatives and health professionals, and a clear focus on independence.
The latest report, explained

What inspectors found, November 2023

Rated Good; inspectors found safe, effective and well-led care for four people with autism.

This was an announced, focused inspection by two inspectors on 31 October 2023. They spoke with people, relatives, staff and health professionals, observed care, and checked care, medicine, recruitment and management records.

The home was supporting four people in a clean, well-maintained and suitably equipped environment. Inspectors found enough trained staff, safe medicine support, good infection control and clear plans for managing risks.

People were supported to make choices about meals, activities, health care and their daily lives. Staff understood different ways of communicating, including signs, pictures, gestures, sounds and body language.

The overall rating stayed Good. Safe and well-led remained Good, while Effective improved from Requires Improvement at the previous inspection to Good. Caring and Responsive were not inspected during this visit, so their previous ratings carried forward.

What inspectors praised
  • Consistent staffing

    The home had enough staff and did not use agency workers. This meant people were supported by staff who knew their routines and needs.

    The service did not use agency staff, so people were supported by a consistent staff team who knew them well.from the report
  • Safe medicines

    Staff were trained to give medicines safely. Records were complete, medicines given when needed had clear instructions, and audits were taking place.

    Medication Administration Records (MAR) were fully completed with no missing signatures.from the report
  • Communication support

    Staff understood people who communicated in different ways and used suitable methods to help them take part in care and daily life.

    They could interact with staff and others involved in their care and support because staff had the necessary skills to understand them.from the report
  • Choice and independence

    People helped choose meals and activities and were supported to try new things, including using public transport independently.

    People's records showed a positive risk-taking approach. This enabled people to have opportunities to try new things.from the report
  • Working with health services

    The home worked with health and social care professionals and made adjustments for appointments when people needed them.

    Lavanda Villa have requested reasonable adjustments for 1 person when they go into hospital for a regular procedure.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 will you assess and support my relative's preferred way of communicating?
  2. 02How do you review medicines given only when needed, and how often are medicine audits completed?
  3. 03How will my relative be involved in the weekly meetings about meals and activities?
  4. 04What changes were made after the previous Requires Improvement rating for Effective?
  5. 05How do you support people to take positive risks while keeping them safe, such as using public transport?

This was a focused inspection of Safe, Effective and Well-led only; Caring and Responsive were not inspected and their previous ratings carried forward. This explanation was written from the published report of 17 November 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 Lavanda Villa

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

  1. November 2023Goodcurrent rating
    Safe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good

    Read what inspectors found at Lavanda Villa

  2. December 2020Inspected but not rated
    Safe: Inspected but not rated

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

  3. August 2018Goodstayed Good
    Safe: GoodEffective: Requires improvementWell-led: Good

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  4. January 2016Good
    Safe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  5. January 2014

    Report published without a new overall rating.

    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. January 2013

    Report published without a new overall rating.

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  8. March 2012

    Report published without a new overall rating.

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  9. January 2011

    Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 13 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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