Chestnut Lodge

Ratings

• Overall

  Inadequate

• Safe

  Inadequate

• Effective

  Requires improvement

• Caring

  Requires improvement

• Responsive

  Requires improvement

• Well-led

  Inadequate

Our view of the service

Chestnut Lodge is a care home providing nursing and personal care for up to 80 people, some of whom are living with dementia. At the time of our assessment there were 69 people living at the service.

The assessment commenced on 6 November 2024 and was completed on 11 December 2024. This included 3 visits to the service on 6, 13 and 26 November.

We identified 3 breaches of regulation relating to person centred care, safe care and treatment and good governance. People’s care was not always person-centred, risks to people were not safely assessed, monitored and mitigated, and quality assurance processes failed to identify and address areas requiring improvement. We identified concerns relating to safeguarding people from abuse, medicines management, risk management, deployment of staff and record keeping. Improvements were also required regarding the leadership, oversight and culture at the service. However, people were supported by kind, caring and respectful staff who knew them well. Overall, staff worked well as a team and had formed good relationships with people and their relatives. Staff always sought consent before supporting people.

We have asked the provider for an action plan in response to some of the concerns found at this assessment. In instances where CQC have decided to take civil or criminal enforcement action against a provider, we will publish this information on our website after any representations and/or appeals have been concluded.

This service is being placed in special measures. The purpose of special measures is to ensure that services providing inadequate care make significant improvements. Special measures provide a framework within which we user our enforcement powers in response to inadequate care and provide a timeframe within which providers must improve the quality of the care they provide.

People's experience of this service

People we spoke to expressed they were generally happy with their care, however, our assessment found elements of their care did not meet the expected standards. Risks to people were not safely managed. People were not always able to participate in appropriate activities that were meaningful to them or regularly access outdoor space. People’s needs were not always met and there were delays in responding to them. People did not always receive person-centred care. They did not always have appropriate equipment in place to meet their needs and adapted information was not available to those who needed it. Some aspects of infection control required improvement, however, people told us the service was clean, and that regular cleaning took place. They spoke positively about the food on offer. People told us the staff were kind and caring and they had good relationships with them and the registered manager.