Dawson Lodge

The following is CQC's published account of its assessment, published 16 August 2024. References to “we” mean CQC. It describes findings at that time.

Date of assessment 19 June to 9 July 2024. This assessment was completed following concerns about risk management, medication, staffing, care plans, documentation and leadership at the service. The scores for these areas have been combined with scores based on the key question ratings from the last inspection. Though the assessment of these 10 quality statements indicated areas of good practice since the last inspection, our overall rating remains requires improvement. This assessment did not cover enough quality statements to fully assess whether the breach of Regulation 17, identified at our inspection in January 2023, has been met. More time is needed to establish the acting leadership team and ensure systems are embedded into practice. The service had been through a challenging period, with considerable staff turnover. A new acting home manager was in post. Feedback we received was positive. People and staff shared examples of improvements in care, activities and morale. One staff member told us, “The morale was really poor at the beginning of the year, but in the last month it has been fabulous.” The service was in a period of transition. We noted shortfalls, including safeguarding training for staff, formal assessments of people’s capacity and some individual risks. Checks on the safety of the premises and equipment were not consistently completed. Feedback from some staff indicated there were areas of division within the team. There were shortfalls in the recording of topical creams. However, people felt they received good quality care and told us they enjoyed time with the staff. There was a positive culture where feedback was encouraged, and lessons were learnt to improve the safety of the service. People’s needs were assessed and regularly reviewed, and they were supported to access healthcare. People spoke positively of the food provided.