Crossfields Lodge

Crossfields Lodge is a residential care home that currently provides personalized care and support for one individual with learning disabilities and autistic people. The home is designed to offer a clean, well-maintained environment tailored to specific needs, including a customized sensory room. The overall findings from the recent inspection highlight a strong, compassionate foundation centered on the person's daily life and choices, while clearly identifying important operational areas that need strengthening to ensure consistent safety and robust oversight.

When it comes to safety, staff actively support the resident to take their medicines as preferred and maintain effective infection prevention and control measures. However, potential risks were not always properly identified or acted upon, and not all staff felt fully confident in managing these risks or keeping accurate incident records, prompting the provider to arrange refresher training.

The service is effective in tailoring assessments, dietary support, and living spaces to the individual, and works well with external health and social care professionals. At the same time, improvements are needed to ensure all staff consistently and competently put their specialist training into practice, which the provider is addressing by pairing newer staff with experienced colleagues.

The home excels at being caring, with staff demonstrating genuine warmth, respect, and a clear commitment to supporting the resident's independence and privacy. Staff respond immediately to the resident's communication cues and preferences, ensuring they feel heard and valued in their daily routine.

The service is also responsive, featuring personalized care plans built with input from family and healthcare professionals to help the resident pursue meaningful activities and hobbies. Communication systems are continually reviewed and adapted with specialist support, and any concerns are handled seriously to drive ongoing improvements.

Leadership and management require improvement because the service's quality assurance, monitoring, and oversight arrangements were not sufficiently robust at the time of the inspection. While the management promotes an inclusive culture and has addressed staff performance issues, strengthening internal governance remains a key priority for the home.