Archived: Fritham Lodge

There was 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 felt safe living at Fritham Lodge and people were very much at the heart of the service. The risks to people were minimized through risk assessments. There were plans in place for foreseeable emergencies.

Relevant recruitment checks were conducted before staff started working at Fritham Lodge to make sure they were of good character and had the necessary skills. Staff had received training in safeguarding adults and knew how to identify, prevent and report abuse. There were enough staff to keep people safe.

People were supported to take their medicines safely from suitably trained staff. People received varied meals including a choice of fresh food and drinks. Staff were aware of people’s likes and dislikes and went out of their way to provide people with what they wanted.

Staff received regular support and one to one sessions of supervision to discuss areas of development. They completed a wide range of training and felt it supported them in their job role. New staff completed an induction programme before being permitted to work unsupervised.

Staff sought consent from people before providing care and support. The ability of people to make decisions was assessed in line with legal requirements to ensure their rights were protected and their liberty was not restricted unlawfully.

People were cared for with kindness, compassion and sensitivity. Care plans provided comprehensive information about how people wished to receive care and support. This helped ensure people received personalised care in a way that met their individual needs.

The provider had employed someone in the home to be an ‘expert auditor’ which involved them travelling to other homes within the group to improve the quality of service for people living there.

People were supported and encouraged to make choices and had access to a wide range of activities. Staff knew what was important to people and encouraged them to be as independent as possible. ‘Residents meetings’ and surveys allowed people to provide feedback, which was used to improve the service.

A complaints procedure was in place. There were appropriate management arrangements in place and staff felt supported. Regular audits of the service were carried out to assess and monitor the quality of the service.

People were able to bring some of their own belongings and pieces of furniture when they moved into the home. Their privacy, dignity and independence were respected. We saw and we were told, staff were available to people when they needed them. People were supported to do activities when they wanted or they could do them on their own.

Systems were in place to identify the possibility of abuse and prevent abuse from

happening. This included staff training and planning to meet challenging needs. The provider had responded appropriately to an allegation of abuse and made referrals to the local authority.

There were effective recruitment and selection processes in place. People were cared for, or supported by, suitably qualified, skilled and experienced staff.

We spoke with two people living in the home who told us that they knew how to complain and had complained numerous times about various things in the past. They said that it was often dealt with 'okay' but at times they did not always know the outcome of their complaint.

One person was moved by the care given by the staff to their friend. They told us 'The staff were brilliant. I can't put into words how good they were. There was someone with them always'.

We spoke with four support staff, the registered manager and the area director. One support worker said "Every day is different. I really enjoy being able to resolve issues with people'.

From discussion and looking at care plans we found people were involved in making decisions about their care and support.

People had safe and appropriate care and support, because their needs were assessed before they received a service, and reviewed regularly.

We saw the staff rota, spoke with people and observed practice. We found the staffing levels were flexible to meet the needs of people using the service, and responsive to changing circumstances.

We found from talking with people using the service and staff that people were protected from the risk of abuse, as the provider had taken reasonable steps to identify the possibility of abuse and prevent abuse from happening.

The provider had in place systems that sought people's views, and involved people who used the service in audits.