The Langleys

Updated 15 December 2022

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

As part of this inspection we looked at the infection control and prevention measures in place. This was conducted so we can understand the preparedness of the service in preventing or managing an infection outbreak, and to identify good practice we can share with other services.

Inspection team

The inspection team consisted of two inspectors.

Service and service type

The Langleys is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing and/or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement dependent on their registration with us. The Langleys is a care home without nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Registered Manager

This service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with two people who lived at The Langleys and three people's relatives to gather their experiences of the care provided. We spoke with the registered manager and two care assistants. Care assistants also completed catering duties. We observed the care and support provided to people to help us understand the experience of people who lived at the home.

We reviewed a range of records. This included three people's care records and multiple medication records. We viewed a variety of records relating to the management of the service including policies and procedures and health and safety checks.

Updated 15 December 2022

About the service

The Langleys is a residential care home providing the regulated activity of accommodation for persons who require nursing or personal care up to a maximum of 15 people. The service provides personal care support to older people aged 65 and over. At the time of the inspection the service was providing personal care for 11 people.

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

Lessons had not been learned, because the provider continued to fail to ensure people living at The Langleys always received safe, high-quality care. Whilst some improvements to benefit people since our last inspection, progress to implement all the required improvements had not been sufficient. The provider remains in breach of the regulations, and as a result, people remained at risk of harm.

People had individual care plans describing the care and support they needed, but risk management was not clearly demonstrated to show people’s needs were met safely and effectively. Infection control practices needed improvement to ensure people were not placed at risk of infection. People's medicines were not always managed safely. Medicine records did not clearly show how medicines had been managed. Staffing arrangements were not clearly demonstrated to show they were effective in managing risks and keeping people safe. Staff completed periodic training but records of this were not sufficient to confirm training was up-to-date and appropriate.

Some practices within the home did not promote people’s privacy and dignity. The lack of maintenance and attention to environment was not demonstrative of respecting people's dignity. Staff and people using the service had good relationships and staff were caring in their approach to people. People and their relatives told us they felt staff were caring and supportive and communicated with them well. People were supported to have 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. People were involved in making everyday decisions linked to their care.

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

Rating at last inspection and update

The last rating for this service was Requires Improvement (published 20 February 2020). The service remains rated Requires Improvement. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve. At this inspection we found the provider remained in breach of regulations.

Why we inspected

We carried out an unannounced comprehensive inspection of this service on 20 February 2020. Breaches of legal requirements were found. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve safe care and treatment and good governance of the service.

We undertook this focused inspection to check they had followed their action plan and to confirm they now met legal requirements. This report covers our findings in relation to the Key Questions safe, and well-led which contain those requirements. We also reviewed the caring key question due to our findings during the inspection.

For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating. The overall rating for the service has remained requires improvement. This is based on the findings at this inspection.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for The Langleys on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Enforcement

We are mindful of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our regulatory function. This meant we took account of the exceptional circumstances arising as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic when considering what enforcement action was necessary and proportionate to keep people safe as a result of this inspection. We will continue to monitor the service and will take further action if needed. We have identified continued breaches in relation to safe care and treatment and good governance at this inspection.

Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.

Full information about CQC’s regulatory response to the more serious concerns found during inspections is added to reports after any representations and appeals have been concluded.

Follow up

We will meet with the provider following this report being published to discuss how they will make changes to ensure they improve their rating to at least good. We will work with the local authority to monitor progress. We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.