Camberwell Lodge

On this page

• Overview
• Shared direction and culture
• Capable, compassionate and inclusive leaders
• Freedom to speak up
• Workforce equality, diversity and inclusion
• Governance, management and sustainability
• Partnerships and communities
• Learning, improvement and innovation

At the last inspection in December 2022, the provider was not ensuring people received a safe and effective service which was a breach of good governance. The provider has made improvements and was no longer in breach of regulations. The rating of this key question has improved from requires improvement to good during this assessment. Governance systems were in place to help monitor aspects of the service so that the quality of care provided could be continuously assessed and improved. Managers had oversight of the service and promoted an open culture. Staff spoke positively about the registered manager and told us they were approachable and supportive.

This service scored 75 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

Staff spoke positively about working at the home. They told us they felt valued and supported by the provider. Staff were clear about their roles and responsibilities. They told us they were passionate about providing kind, compassionate high-quality care. Comments from staff included, “We are trying our best to provide quality care to our residents.” and “It’s a very friendly team and we work well together.”

The culture at the home reflected the visions and values of the organisation and best practice. The registered manager also told us about new initiatives that had recently been introduced such as a board of excellence and employee of the month scheme, both of which had been introduced to highlight and celebrate good practices and reward staff who excelled in their role.

Staff we spoke with gave positive feedback about the leadership and management of the service. They told us the registered manager was responsive, listened to concerns raised and took the necessary action to resolve issues when they occurred. Comments from staff included, “My personal observation is that people in general are treated fairly” and “As an employee I feel valued, engaged, and committed.”

Regular meetings between management and staff provided them with an opportunity to discuss the running of the home and people's individual support needs. The service operated in an open and transparent way. There was an open-door policy where the manager was available for people, family members and staff when they were needed.

Staff told us they knew how to speak up if they had concerns or something went wrong. They felt the manager and the organisation supported them and listened to their concern. Comments from staff included, “I can approach my managers at any time if I have a problem and they solve it” and “Our management team is very supportive and always approachable.”

The manager operated an open-door policy and welcomed feedback from staff. Staff were able to discuss issues at one-to-one meetings and team meetings. There were procedures for responding to concerns and to support staff to feel confident speaking up. Systems were in place for staff to raise anonymous concerns.

Staff told us they felt well treated working at the home and their diversity needs were met. Comments from staff included, “Our home has a mixed culture, and we do respect and meet everyone needs” and “I can go to [registered manager] and I know she will sort things out quickly. They are letting me have flexible time to support a family member.”

There was an equality and diversity policy in place which described general ambitions to ensure all staff would be treated fairly. The provider also offered flexible working to support staff with disabilities and/or caring responsibilities. Despite some positive initiatives there was no equality and diversity strategy in place to ensure initiatives were monitored for their effectiveness. We discussed this with the provider, and they have agreed to review this.

Staff were positive about the management of the home. They told us they felt well supported with training and 1-2-1 supervision so they had the skills and knowledge to carry out their role. They were also positive about the systems and process in place to ensure improvements to the service were maintained. Comments included, “I would say the service is well led. My management team is very supportive and approachable.” and “The [registered] manager is very good and quick to sort out problems.”

The registered manager and staff demonstrated how they had made improvements to systems and processes in the home since the last inspection in December 2022. The provider's policies and procedures reflected legislation and good practice guidance. Audits and checks were carried out to monitor the running and efficiency of the service. The aim of these were to identify deficiencies and help promote and drive improvement. There were systems to ensure all staff were accountable and shared information with each other and managers.

Most people and their family members told us the home worked in partnership with them and other professionals as required. One family member told us, “The management have organised meetings for the relatives and residents to get feedback on how they can improve the care that they provide” and “Yes, I have received telephone calls regarding the care of my mum. I am also contacted by email and we have a monthly newsletter.” Despite generally positive feedback some people felt staff did not always keep them informed of changes and some people felt they had not been asked to give feedback.

Staff and management told us they worked well with the external partners such as the local authority commissioners and other health care and social care professionals. Records showed people had been supported by local teams and different community groups where necessary. The registered manager told us, “We are continually trying to increase and improve our connections with the local community. Children from the local school come and do pizza making and arts and crafts with the residents or have a singalong. People really enjoy interacting with the children.”

In general, external professionals told us staff and the registered manager worked in partnership with all partners to support high standards of care. Positive comments included, “I was impressed that the [registered] manager went out of their way, staying late and coming in on the weekend to reassure a family member about their relative’s care when concerns were raised” and “Things have improved vastly since the previous manager. There is stronger leadership and the staff are very good.” Despite the generally positive feedback, some professionals felt improvements were not fully embedded and staff were not always following guidelines. This indicated there was more work to do to ensure partnership working was completely effective.

Effective systems were in place to help encourage good working relationships with community groups. The provider engaged with community cultural and religious groups to help enhance meet people’s spiritual needs and maintain community involvement. The provider had also signed up to the local authority residential care charter. The aim of the charter was to improve the quality and safety of care and improve working conditions and training for staff.

The manager explained that since they had started working at the home, they had made improvements to the service based on their own quality monitoring and information from external audits. The manager told us they were committed to the continuous improvement of the home and emphasised the importance of promoting a culture of learning and development within the home. Staff were positive about the improvements being made. One member of staff told us, “I think things are better, we work better as a team now and the care is better.”

Management undertook a range of audits to monitor the quality of care and support provided at the home. Areas audited included health and safety, care records and medicines management. Processes enabled the service to use information from audits, feedback and care plan reviews to make positive changes and improvements to the running of the home. The manager carried out spot checks to observe staff, regular staff supervision and gathered feedback from people’s family members and care professionals through telephone calls, visits and reviews.