Alistre Lodge Nursing & Care Home

Updated 19 April 2024

Date of assessment 1 May to 15 May 2024. The assessment was prompted in part due to concerns raised around the management of the service, the quality of care people received, safety and dignity. We reviewed elements of the safe, effective, caring and well-led key questions. We identified 3 breaches of the regulations in relation to safe care and treatment, safeguarding and governance. We found concerns relating to safety of the environment, staffing, infection prevention and control, and management of medication. Incident reports were not always fully completed, and following incidents referrals had not always been made to the appropriate agencies. Records relating to people’s care were not always detailed or completed consistently, so we could not be confident people’s needs were fully considered or met. Quality assurance and governance systems were not effective; the safety and quality of care was not effectively monitored, and people’s personal information was not stored securely. However, staff showed a clear understanding of people and their needs; and we witnessed positive interactions between staff and people living at the home. We received good feedback from staff in relation to the manager and they said they felt confident to speak up about concerns or bad practice. At the last inspection, Alistre Lodge Nursing and Care Home was rated good. During this assessment we found the provider had failed to maintain standards and the rating has decreased to requires improvement. We have asked the provider for an action plan in response to concerns found.

Updated 19 April 2024

People and their relatives praised staff. Comments included, “The staff I see are kind and respectful. Staff show lots of love to all the residents.” However, we received some negative feedback about staffing levels. A relative told us, “Buzzers are not answered in an acceptable length of time. Staff are very pleasant and do their best but there is not enough of them.” People and relatives were mostly complimentary about their overall experiences. We received positive examples of staff supporting people in-line with their needs and preferences, improving health and well-being. A person living at the home said, “The staff are very helpful. I have settled here and it’s home. I am safe here because staff keep a good eye on me.” A relative added, “[Person’s] health is so much better at the home.” People confirmed they (or relatives on their behalf) were involved in creating their care plans and spoke positively about the food. While the people we spoke to expressed that they were generally happy with their care, our assessment found elements of care did not meet the expected standards.