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CQC report explained · a residential care home, run by Swanton Care and Community

Park Lodge

Park Avenue, Roker, Sunderland, SR6 9PU

Goodpublished 11 January 2024, 2 years ago

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

The five questions inspectors ask
Safe?
Good
People were protected from abuse and avoidable harm. There were enough staff, medicines were managed safely, and infection control arrangements were effective, although some recruitment records and staffing allocation records needed improvement.
Effective?
Good
This key question was not inspected during this visit. Its previous rating was used in calculating the overall rating.
Caring?
Good
This key question was not inspected during this visit. Its previous rating was used in calculating the overall rating.
Responsive?
Good
This key question was not inspected during this visit. Its previous rating was used in calculating the overall rating.
Well-led?
Good
The home was consistently managed and staff promoted person-centred care. Some relatives said communication could be better, and the manager was taking action to involve families more.
The latest report, explained

What inspectors found, January 2024

Rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind care, but some records and communication with relatives needed improvement.

This was an unannounced inspection over four days in December 2023. Inspectors met people living in the home, contacted relatives, spoke with staff and other professionals, and checked care, medicine, recruitment and management records.

People were supported to make choices and be independent. Inspectors found kind care, enough staff, safe medicines practice, infection controls and safeguarding arrangements. The home worked with other agencies and the manager acted on issues found.

Some improvements were needed. Recruitment records had gaps, records of one-to-one and two-to-one staffing needed to be clearer, and some relatives wanted better communication and more activities. The overall rating was Good, but this inspection only assessed Safe and Well-led. The other ratings carried over from the previous comprehensive inspection.

What inspectors praised
  • Choice and independence

    Staff supported people to make decisions, build on their strengths and live meaningful everyday lives.

    People were supported to have maximum possible choice, control and independence.from the report
  • Kind and respectful care

    Inspectors found that staff provided compassionate care and protected people's privacy and dignity.

    People received kind and compassionate care. Staff protected and respected people's privacy and dignity.from the report
  • Safe staffing and medicines

    There were enough staff to meet people's needs, and staff were trained and checked as competent to give medicines.

    There were enough staff to safely care for people.from the report
  • Active management

    The manager reviewed incidents and service systems, and took action when improvements were identified.

    The registered manager critically reviewed the operation of the service and actively made changes to the improve the service, as and when these were needed.from the report
What inspectors were concerned about
  • Recruitment records

    needs fixing

    Some staff files did not fully show employment histories, DBS checks and current photographs. The management team was working to address these gaps.

    However, there were some gaps such as evidence to demonstrate employment histories had been fully explored, what DBS evidence had been requested and current photographs.from the report
  • Communication with relatives

    needs fixing

    Some relatives said they did not receive enough information and had to contact the home to find out how their family member was.

    Staff don't really communicate well. This is the issue I have. I have to ring and ask them how he is.from the report
  • Activities and going out

    minor

    Some relatives felt people would benefit from more activities and more support to go out. The manager was trying to improve this.

    Some relatives felt people would benefit from experiencing a wider range of activities, which the registered manager was trying to facilitate.from the report
Questions to ask them, based on this report
  1. 01How are you improving communication with relatives about changes and about how people are doing?
  2. 02How do you record and check the one-to-one or two-to-one staffing my relative receives?
  3. 03What activities and opportunities to go out are now available, and how are they matched to each person's wishes?
  4. 04How have you completed the missing employment history, DBS evidence and photograph checks in staff files?
  5. 05How will my relative and family be involved in discussions about their care and support needs?

This was a focused inspection of Safe and Well-led only; the other ratings carried over from the previous comprehensive inspection. This explanation was written from the published report of 11 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 Park Lodge

4 rated inspections over 8 years: the service has improved, from Inadequate to Good.

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

    Read what inspectors found at Park Lodge

  2. March 2021Inspected but not rated
    Safe: Inspected but not rated

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

  3. March 2018Goodstayed Good
    Safe: GoodWell-led: Good

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  4. March 2016Goodup from Inadequate
    Safe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  5. August 2015Inadequate
    Safe: Requires improvementEffective: InadequateCaring: Requires improvementResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Inadequate

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  6. October 2014

    Report published without a new overall rating.

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  7. April 2014

    Report published without a new overall rating.

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  8. January 2013

    Report published without a new overall rating.

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  9. April 2012

    Report published without a new overall rating.

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  10. December 2010

    Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 1 December 2010.

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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