Elizabethlodge

Updated 22 June 2022

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 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 was completed by two inspector and an Expert by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

Elizabeth lodge is a ‘care home’ without nursing care. 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. 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 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 information gathered as part of a monitoring activity that took place on 21 April 2022 to help plan the inspection and inform our judgements. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with four people who used the service and eight relatives about their experience of the care provided, we received eight experience of care comments from relatives through our web site. We spoke with five members of staff, the registered manager and the provider/nominated individual. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider. We reviewed a range of records. This included four people's care records and four staff files in relation to

recruitment. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including risk assessments and

audits were reviewed.

Updated 22 June 2022

About the service

Elizabeth Lodge is a residential care home providing accommodation and personal care to 16 older people at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to 18 people.

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

The care people received was safe. The service had systems and processes in place for safeguarding people and managing incidents and accidents. Medicines management was safe and followed good practice guidance. Staff numbers and deployment promoted safe care.

The home followed appropriate recruitment practices and ensured staff were properly checked before they began working at the home. Accident and incidents were reported, recorded and analysed with lessons learnt shared with staff to prevent reoccurrences.

Staff were kind, understanding, and compassionate. People had good relationships with staff. People were supported by staff who knew people's personal and individual needs well. Care was personalised with people's communication needs being met.

Staff were enthusiastic and happy in their work. They felt supported within their roles. Staff described working together as a team, they provided person-centred care and helped people to achieve their potential.

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.

Management had kept in touch with local health protection agencies and kept up to date with government guidance on COVID-19. Updated guidance had been cascaded to staff when needed. People, relatives and staff had received communications throughout COVID-19 on changes and guidance for visiting, PPE and testing. Staff were testing regularly for COVID-19 as per the government guidance.

The service was well-led. Leaders were visible and accessible. There was a culture of openness, inclusion and person-centred care practises. There were systems in place to monitor the quality of care people received. The provider acted on their findings to improve the quality of 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 1 November 2019) and there were breaches of regulation. 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 improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.

Why we inspected

We undertook this focused inspection to check the provider had followed their action plan and to confirm they now met legal requirements. This report only covers our findings in relation to the Key Questions safe, effective and Well-led which contained those requirements.

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 changed from requires improvement to good. 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 Elizabeth lodge on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.