Camelot House & Lodge

Updated 19 February 2022

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

As part of CQC’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic we are looking at how services manage infection control and visiting arrangements. This was a targeted inspection looking at the infection prevention and control measures the provider had in place. We also asked the provider about any staffing pressures the service was experiencing and whether this was having an impact on the service.

This inspection took place on 27 January 2022 and was unannounced.

Updated 19 February 2022

About the service

Camelot House is a nursing home which is able to accommodate up to 90 people in two buildings. Camelot House can accommodate up to 62 people and Camelot Lodge can accommodate up to 28 people. The home specialises in providing nursing care to people who have dementia and other mental health needs. At the time of the inspection there were 81 people using the service.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

People and their relatives were happy with the care and support provided, and they felt the service was safe. Comments included, “It suits me beautifully here; I am not a scrap disappointed” and “Here they make him feel special; they give him that extra confidence. I can leave without a worry.”

There were not always suitable arrangements for storing and disposal of medicines, including those needing cold storage and extra security. However, this had been addressed by the second day of the inspection and medicines were stored securely.

Most people were protected from social isolation as a range of varied activities were on offer. The service was working to improve the offer of meaningful occupation to people who did not take part in group activities.

Systems were in place intended to protect people from harm or abuse. There were enough suitably trained and qualified staff to meet people’s needs and staff were recruited in a safe way. Regular health and safety checks were carried out of the premises and equipment to make sure they were safe. The premises were clean and well maintained.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

Care and support were delivered in a line with current legislation and achieved good outcomes for people. People were able to access the healthcare services they required, and staff knew how to recognise when people’s health had deteriorated. People were supported to maintain a balanced diet and enjoyed the food provided.

Staff were friendly and caring, and attentive to people’s needs. People were treated with respect and their privacy and dignity protected. They or their family were involved in discussions about their care.

People received effective, compassionate care at the end of their life. The service had been reaccredited with the Gold Standard Framework (GSF) for the third consecutive time and had been awarded the quality hallmark award of platinum status.

The service had an inclusive ethos and people’s diversity was respected. The provider had systems of quality assurance to measure and monitor the standard of the service and drive improvement. Staff worked with other professionals to ensure people received the support they required. Professionals expressed confidence in the service and described good working relationships with all staff at Camelot House and Lodge.

Rating at last inspection (and update) - The last rating for this service was good (published 13 July 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our reinspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner. This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk