Archived: The Lodge Care Home

Updated 6 August 2015

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check 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.

The inspection took place on 15, 16 and 17 June 2015 and was unannounced. The inspection team consisted of two adult social care inspectors 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.

Before the inspection we gathered information we held about the service. For example we looked at statutory notifications the service had sent us over the last 12 months.

During the inspection we spoke with seven people who use the service, seven relatives, five care workers, three care managers, the provider, the pharmacist, the chef and the registered manager by telephone. We looked at eight staff files, seven care plans, records relating to health and safety, training, concerns and complaints, policies and procedures and audits carried out by the service.

Updated 6 August 2015

We carried out an inspection of The Lodge Care Home on 15, 16 and 17 June 2015 and the inspection was unannounced. When we last inspected The Lodge on 23 September 2014 as a follow up inspection we found that they were meeting the regulations we inspected.

The Lodge provides personal care and accommodation for up to 94 older people some of who may have dementia. At the time of the inspection there were 83 people using the service. The service is a large extended building based over two floors with large landscaped grounds.

The service had a registered manager in place. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

People told us they felt safe living at The Lodge, for example one person told us, “I’m safe here definitely”. A relative told us, “I’m glad that [my relative] is in here because I know she’s being looked after.” However we found evidence that there were insufficient slide sheets within the service which meant that people were required to share them. This presented as an infection control risk.

The home had policies and procedures in relation to the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards. The Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) are part of the

Mental Capacity Act 2005. They aim to make sure that people in care homes, hospitals and supported living are looked after in a way that does not deprive them of their liberty and ensures that people are supported to make decisions relating to the care they receive.

Evidence held in staff files showed that the service had robust processes in place to ensure staff were vetted for suitability prior to starting employment. Staff undertook comprehensive training to ensure they were equipped with the skills and knowledge to carry out their roles effectively including Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) training.

We saw examples of good practice relating to staff interactions with people. Observations carried out during the three day inspection showed staff communicating with people in a professional and compassionate manner. Staff used varying methods of communicating and used their active listening skills to clarify they had understood the person’s needs correctly. Staff actively encouraged people to make choices and decisions relating to the care.

A new more in-depth care plan and risk assessment process was being implemented at the time of the inspection. Details relating to all known risks were recorded with clear guidance for staff on how to minimise these risks and maintain people’s safety.