Pine Lodge

Updated 11 July 2019

The inspection

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 Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

Consisted of one inspector.

Service and service type

Pine Lodge is a ‘care home’ providing respite services. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they were legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided. There were also two team managers, responsible for the day to day running of the service.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because the service is small, and people are often out, and we wanted to be sure there would be people and staff at the service to speak with us.

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. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections.

During the inspection

We observed care being provided in communal areas for the person staying at the service. We spoke with the registered manager, team manager and two members of care staff. We reviewed one person’s care and medicine management records. We looked at staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. We reviewed a variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures.

After the inspection

We provided contact details for staff to share with people’s families to offer the opportunity for them to provide feedback on the running of the service. We contacted some family members by email and telephone, and left messages with CQC contact details. We received one email response and spoke with one family member by telephone to source feedback on the service provided.

We asked for the service to send us some additional information on actions taken at our request, following the inspection visit. The information was received within agreed timescales.

Updated 11 July 2019

About the service

Pine Lodge provides respite accommodation and support for up to a three people at a time, with a learning disability, autistic spectrum disorder and physical healthcare needs. At the time of our inspection one person was staying at the service.

The service consisted of one bungalow, with three bedrooms one with an ensuite shower room, communal lounges and bath and shower rooms and shared kitchen and garden facilities.

The service has been developed and designed in line with the principles and values that underpin Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. This ensures that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes. The principles reflect the need for people with learning disabilities and/or autism to live meaningful lives that include control, choice, and independence. People using the service receive planned and co-ordinated person-centred support that is appropriate and inclusive for them.

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

People staying at Pine Lodge participated in activities and maintained attendance at college, day services and community hubs. Staff were skilled and received specialist training, they showed empathy, kindness and compassion and placed value on their caring roles and involvement in people’s lives. People had their care and support needs met by sufficient numbers of staff.

People were offered a choice of meals and staff monitored people assessed to be at risk of poor food and fluid intake. Staff understood the needs of people requiring specialist diets and cooked food tailored to individual needs. The care provided was flexible to meet people’s needs and preferences. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

The service had good working relationships with healthcare professionals and incorporated advice and best practice guidance into the care provided. The service worked in partnership with people and encouraged feedback. Staff told us they enjoyed working at Pine Lodge and spoke highly of the support and encouragement provided by the management team.

The service applied the principles and values of Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These ensure that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes that include control, choice and independence.

The outcomes for people using the service reflected the principles and values of Registering the Right Support by promoting choice and control, independence and inclusion. People's support focused on them having as many opportunities as possible for them to gain new skills and become more independent.

The care environment was clean and comfortable throughout, however, we identified some environmental and equipment risks, but the registered manager put measures in place immediately after the inspection to address and mitigate these.

The service had governance processes in place and completed internal quality checks and audits, however these had not independently identified some of the points found during the inspection. The management team was responsive to feedback and guidance provided and implemented measures to prevent reoccurrence.

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was Good (published 20 October 2016).

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 re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.

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