Tudor Lodge

Updated 13 April 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. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team:

Two adult social care inspectors and an expert by experience undertook this inspection on 26 February 2019. An expert by experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service. The expert by experience for this inspection had experience of older people and those living with dementia.

Service and service type:

Tudor Lodge Residential Care Home is a care home. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care. 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 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:

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection in June 2016. This included details about incidents the provider must notify us about. We assessed the information we require providers to send us at least once annually to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

During the inspection, we spoke with 12 people who used the service and four relatives to ask about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with the registered manager, care manager, five members of care staff, the activities co-ordinator and chef. We reviewed care records for six people using the service.

We checked recruitment records for five staff members and training and supervision arrangements for the staff team. We looked around the premises and at records for the management of the service including quality assurance systems, audits and health and safety records. We also reviewed how medicines were managed and the records relating to this.

Updated 13 April 2019

About the service Tudor Lodge Residential Care Home provides accommodation and personal care for up to 28 older people some of whom were living with dementia. People who live at the home access nursing care through the local community healthcare teams. At the time of the inspection 22 people were living at the home.

People’s experience of using this service:

People told us they felt safe and happy. There were positive and caring relationships between staff and people, and this extended to relatives and other visitors. Staff understood the importance of providing person-centred care and treated everyone as individuals, respecting their abilities and promoting independence. Staff knew how to recognise and report any concerns they had about people’s welfare and how to protect them from abuse.

Tudor Lodge residential care home continued to be kept clean, safely maintained and furnished to comfortable standards. People had the equipment they needed to meet their assessed needs. Health and safety checks were carried out to make sure the premises and equipment were safe.

There were enough staff, day and night, to support people’s needs. The provider recruited staff safely to ensure they were suitable for their role. Staff continued to receive ongoing training and support to keep their knowledge, skills and practice up to date.

Peoples needs were fully assessed before moving to the service so the provider knew whether they could meet the person's needs. Care plans were individual and representative of people’s needs, preferences, values and beliefs. Risks to people’s health and wellbeing were assessed and reviewed when needed. Staff took action to minimise these risks and keep people safe.

People were supported to maintain good health and to eat and drink well. Staff involved other professionals when people became unwell or required additional services. People received their medicines when they should. The provider followed safe practice for the management of medicines.

Staff were caring, respectful and made sure people’s privacy and dignity were maintained. People and their relatives were supported with care and compassion during end of life care. People were supported to have choice in their daily lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People enjoyed varied social and leisure activities and had opportunities to try new ones. There were meaningful activities for people living with dementia. Staff understood the importance of social interaction and ensured they offered people support and companionship when needed.

The registered manager and care manager showed effective leadership and the service was well run. Staff knew their roles and understood what was expected of them. Staff felt supported by management and each other. People, their relatives and staff told us management were approachable and that they listened to them when they had any concerns or ideas. All feedback was used to make continuous improvements in the service.

The provider had good oversight of the service and used effective systems to monitor quality and safety. Where improvements were needed or lessons learnt, action was taken.

At this inspection we found the evidence supported a rating of ‘Good’ in all areas, and continues to support a rating of ‘Good’ overall. For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection: Good (August 2016)

Why we inspected: This was a planned inspection based on the rating at the last inspection.

Follow up: We will continue to monitor the service through the information we receive. We will inspect in line with our inspection programme or sooner if required.