Aniska Lodge

Updated 12 September 2019

The inspection:

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection checked whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team:

The inspection team consisted of one 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. The expert at this inspection had experience of caring for older people.

Service and service type:

Aniska Lodge is a ‘care home’. 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 did not have a manager who was registered with the Care Quality Commission. Registered managers and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided. Day to day management of the service was carried out by an interim manager. A new manager had been employed, but had been in post a very short time and had not yet commenced their registration with the CQC.

Notice of inspection:

This was an unannounced inspection, which meant the provider and staff were not aware that we were coming.

What we did:

The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report.

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.

During the inspection:

We observed the support that people received, spoke with people and staff and gathered information relating to the management of the service. We used the short observational framework for inspection (SOFI), which is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us.

We reviewed a range of records. This included four staff recruitment files, training records, records relating to the management of the service and a variety of policies and procedures and quality assurance processes developed and implemented by the provider. We reviewed five people’s electronic care records.

We also spoke with eight people living at the service, eight visitors and two visiting healthcare professionals. We also spoke with 10 members of staff, including the interim manager, the manager, a regional manager, a registered nurse, an activities co-ordinator, a maintenance worker, the administrator, the chef and care staff.

Updated 12 September 2019

About the service:

Aniska Lodge is a care home registered to provide nursing and residential care and accommodation for 49 people with various health conditions, including dementia and sensory impairment. There were 41 people living at the service on the day of our inspection. Aniska Lodge is a large converted property located in Warninglid, West Sussex.

People’s experience of using this service:

The service did not have a manager who was registered with the Care Quality Commission. Registered managers and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided. Day to day management of the service was carried out by an interim manager. A new manager had been employed, but had been in post a very short time and had not yet commenced their application to register with the CQC.

People were happy with the care they received, felt relaxed with staff and told us they were treated with kindness. They said they felt safe, were well supported and there were sufficient staff to care for them.

Our own observations supported this, and we saw friendly relationships had developed between people and staff. A relative told us, “The staff are amazing and they love my [relative]”.

People enjoyed an independent lifestyle and told us their choices and needs were met. They enjoyed the food, drink and activities that took place daily. One person told us, “The quality of food is good”. A relative added, “They have so many outside entertainers who come in, animals, musicians, pet therapy as well as parties regularly which relatives are invited to”.

People felt their healthcare needs were met and they had access to professionals should this be required. A relative told us, “[My relative] was not in a good state when she came here after a long period in hospital. They are excellent at getting the right resources for her. She was under weight on admission and the home makes fortified milk shakes which she loves, and she now sees a member of the SALT (Speech and Language Therapy) team about a throat problem. This now means that she has the right medication which has rectified her not wanting to eat due to discomfort”.

People felt the service was homely and welcoming to them and their visitors. A relative told us, “I do feel [my relative] is safe, and I am always made welcome. They know her likes and dislikes”. People told us they thought the service was well managed and they enjoyed living there. One person told us, “This place is like a hotel, everything is done for me”.

Staff had received training considered essential by the provider. It was clear from observing the care delivered and the feedback people and staff gave us, that they knew the best way to care for people in line with their needs and preferences. A member of staff told us, “We get regular training”.

The provider had systems of quality assurance to measure and monitor the standard of the service and drive improvement. These systems also supported people to stay safe by assessing and mitigating risks, ensuring that people were cared for in a person centred way and that the provider learned from any mistakes. Our own observations and the feedback we received supported this. People received high quality care from dedicated and enthusiastic staff that met their needs and improved their wellbeing. A member of staff said, “The managers are very supportive and we work well together. We do the best we can for the residents”.

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

Rating at last inspection: The last rating for this service was requires improvement (published 14 May 2019) and there was a breach 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: The inspection was prompted in part due to concerns received regarding service delivery and an ongoing safeguarding investigation. A decision was made for us to inspect and examine those risks.

Follow up: We will continue to monitor the intelligence we receive about this home and plan to inspect in line with our re-inspection schedule for those services rated Good. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.