Walker Lodge

Updated 30 January 2018

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.

This was a comprehensive inspection.

This inspection took place on 19 December 2017 and was unannounced.

The inspection team consisted of an adult social care inspector.

Before our inspection visit, we reviewed the information we held about Walker Lodge. This included notifications we had received from the provider, about incidents that affect the health, safety and welfare of people who used the service. We viewed the provider information return (PIR). This is information we require providers to send us at least once annually 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 spoke with two people who used the service, four relatives and 12 staff. We also spoke to the registered manager of the home, and the deputy manager. We spoke with three visiting healthcare professionals. We looked at the care plans for three people and the recruitment files for two staff. We also looked at other documentation associated to the running of the service.

Updated 30 January 2018

Located in a residential area and close to local community facilities, Walker Lodge is registered to provide specialist care for up to eight people with an acquired brain injury. The home also provides transitional rehabilitation for people who want to move into the community in supported tenancies. The home is a purpose built facility with accommodation located over two floors. A passenger lift is available for access between the floors and the building has been designed to ensure full access for wheelchair users. There are a number of car parking spaces adjacent to the home. Eight people were living at the home at the time of our inspection.

At the last inspection, the service was rated Good. At this inspection, the service remained Good.

Our observations showed there were plenty of staff around the home to help people with their day to day needs. There were systems and processes in place to ensure that people who lived at the home were safeguarded from abuse. This included training for staff which highlighted the different types of abuse and how to raise concerns within the infrastructure of the home. Staff we spoke with confirmed they knew how to raise concerns. Medication was well manager and only administered by staff who had the correct training to enable them to do this. There was a process for analysing incidents, accidents and general near misses to determine what could be improved within the service provision. There was personal protective equipment (PPE) available within the home, and staff wore appropriate protective clothing when competing person care tasks or serving meals. Risk assessments were detailed and specific, and contained a good descriptive account for staff to follow to enable them to minimise the risk of harm occurring to people who lived at the home, these were specifically tailored to support people with brain injuries.

Menus were varied, people told us they had input into the menus and were supported to make some smaller meals themselves. Staff were suitably trained, specifically to support people with acquired brain injury. Additionally, staff were regularly supervised and appraised to enable them to provide good care to people who lived at the home. Staff told us they were well supported through the induction process, regular supervision and appraisal. Staff said they were up-to-date with the training they were required by the organisation to undertake for the job and training records confirmed this. Training was a mixture of e learning and face to face courses. Consent was also sought and clearly documented in line with legislation and guidance. The service was operating in accordance with the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005, and best interest processes were documented for people who required support with decision making. People had access to other medical professionals who often visited the home and were involved with people from a clinical point of view. The service was able to demonstrate good relationships with external healthcare professionals and case managers. All bedrooms were spacious and home was adapted to encourage and support peoples rehabilitation needs.

People were included in their care and support as much as possible, and there was evidence to suggest that person centred plans had been discussed with people and their relatives People were treated as individuals, and their choices and preferences were respected by staff. This was evident throughout our observations around the home, and the information recorded in people’s care plans. Staff also described how the ensured they protected people’s dignity when providing personal care. Staff spoke with people and about them with warmth and sensitivity, and told us they enjoyed helping people to rehabilitate.

There was a process to listen to and respond to complaints which was clearly displayed for people in the home and any visitors if they wished to raise a formal complaint. Staff were trained to support people who were on an end of life pathway, and we saw that training was taking place for this and on going. n addition, people were supported to cope with death and grieving, and had been supported to access funeral plans if they required. We saw examples throughout our inspection which showed that the organisation was operating in a way which was person centred. Person centred means support based on the individual needs and preferences of the person and not to suit the organisation. In addition, information was made available and presented to people in which supported their understanding.

The vision of the organisation was person centred and the staff we spoke with told us they liked working for the company. Quality assurance system were robust and sampled a wide range of service provision. We saw that were issues had been identified they had been subject to an action plan which was reviewed regularly and updated with the latest action points. The service worked in partnership with the local community, and hosted various events in schools and colleges.