The Lodge Care Home

Updated 11 February 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 included checking the provider was meeting COVID-19 vaccination requirements. 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

This inspection was undertaken by two inspectors, one working remotely.

Service and service type

The Lodge Care Home is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a 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 they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

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 all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection-

We received feedback from three people who used the service and eight relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with six staff and the registered manager.

We reviewed a range of records. This included four people’s care records, staff training records, and records relating to the management of the service, including accidents and incidents, safeguarding, complaints and compliments.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at training data and quality assurance records. We received feedback from two external professionals involved with the service.

Updated 11 February 2022

The Lodge Care Home is a residential home registered to provide accommodation and personal care for up to 45 older people, some who may be living with dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 35 people using the service.

The home is built over four floors, with a range of communal and dining areas on the ground floor.

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

At the last inspection the provider had failed to ensure people’s safety was promoted, did not have effective governance systems and did not submit the required notifications. We identified multiple breaches of regulations.

At this inspection we found required improvements had been made and systems implemented to address the shortfalls were effective. Therefore, the service is no longer in breach of regulations.

People felt safe and said staff were kind and helpful. Relatives said staff were skilled and knowledgeable and they were happy with the care and support people received. People’s safety and welfare was continuously monitored. Incident, events and unexplained injuries were recorded and investigated. Where needed, incidents were reported to external agencies appropriately.

People and staff enjoyed good relationships and staff knew and understood people’s needs well. Care plans had been updated giving staff the information they needed to meet people’s needs safely. The management team reviewed the care and support staff had provided to help ensure people’s needs had been met. People’s medicines were now managed safely, and these were checked routinely as part of the registered manager’s monitoring.

Feedback received from people, their relatives and staff confirmed there was enough staff available to meet people’s needs. The provider’s recruitment process was robust, including all required checks to help ensure staff employed were fit to work in a care setting. Staff had support to carry out their role and said the management team were supportive and approachable. Some staff refresher training has lapsed, the registered manager and provider had already identified this and had developed an action plan to address the issue in a timely manner.

COVID-19 and infection prevention and control had been provided. Staff knew how to reduce the risk of transmission of and worked safely in relation to COVID-19.

The provider’s governance systems were now being used to their full potential supporting the provider and registered manager to identify potential concerns and manage them appropriately. This had been effective in driving improvements in the home.

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 10 June 2021)

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 carried out an unannounced inspection of this service on 17 February 2021. Breaches of legal requirements were found relating to safe care and treatment, staffing, safeguarding and governance systems at The Lodge Care Home.

We undertook this focused inspection to check they 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 and Well-led which contain 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.

We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively. This included checking the provider was meeting COVID-19 vaccination requirements.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for The Lodge Care Home 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.