A care home in Carlisle has been rated “good” by inspectors after concerns were raised about its cleanliness.
Pennine Lodge care home, on Pennine Way in Carlisle, was inspected in November by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) regulator, who looked only at whether the site was “safe” and “well-led”.
In the previous inspection, conducted in January last year, the home was rated “good” in all areas, with the exception of “safety” where it was deemed to “require improvement”.
In the latest report, published last week, inspectors said “People and relatives felt the home was safe”.
What did inspectors find?
- People’s medicines were managed in a safe way although there were some gaps in recording when prescribed creams had been applied. Inspectors made a recommendation about this. The management team involved staff in better ways of managing this.
- The home was clean, comfortable and warm.
- Staff had practical training in infection control. They followed national guidance to prevent the spread of infection.
- There were enough skilled, experienced staff to support people. Safe recruitment practices had been used to make sure new staff were suitable.
- There had been several changes to management over the past year. There was a new management team in place and the new manager had applied to be registered. Staff and relatives said the manager was approachable and open to suggestions.
- There was a friendly, warm atmosphere in the home and staff took an interest in the wellbeing of people.
- The management team promoted good working relationships with local health and social care services to support the needs and wellbeing of the people who live there.
Why was the inspection carried out?
The CQC received concerns in relation to the cleanliness of the home. As a result, it undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of whether the home was “safe” and “well-led” only.
It found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm.
The information the regulator held about the home was reviewed and no areas of concern were identified in the other key areas. Therefore, these other areas were not inspected.
Ratings from previous comprehensive inspections for those key areas were used in calculating the overall rating at this inspection.
What is Pennine Lodge?
The home provides personal and nursing care for up to 70 people, including people with dementia and physical disabilities.
