North Lodge Care Home

Updated 27 April 2022

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

As part of this inspection we looked at the infection control and prevention measures in place. This included checking the provider was meeting COVID-19 vaccination requirements. This was conducted so we can understand the preparedness of the service in preventing or managing an infection outbreak, and to identify good practice we can share with other services.

Inspection team

This inspection was completed by one inspector.

Service and service type

North Lodge is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing and/or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement dependent on their registration with us. [Care home name] is a care home [with/without] nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Registered Manager

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority professionals who work with the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with five people about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with six members of staff including the registered manager, senior care worker, carers, and chef.

We reviewed a range of records. This included five people’s care records, multiple medication records and two staff files in relation to recruitment. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including checks and audits were reviewed.

After the inspection

We viewed training records and policies and procedures. We received feedback from three people’s relatives about their experiences of the service.

Updated 27 April 2022

About the service

North Lodge Care Home is a residential care home for 21 older people and people living with dementia. The service is a large, converted property. Accommodation is arranged over two floors and there is a stair lift to assist people to get to the upper floor. There were 18 people living at the service at the time of our inspection.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

People told us they felt safe living at North Lodge Care Home and staff were kind and caring.

We found the service had improved since our last inspection. Risks to people had been identified and assessed. Action had been taken to mitigate risks and keep people as safe as possible. Nationally recognised assessment tools were now being used to assess people’s needs.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. Applications had been made, in line with national guidance, to deprive some people of their liberty in their best interests.

Staff knew how to identify and report any safeguarding concerns they had. People were confident to raise any concerns they had and told us staff always acted on any concerns they raised.

People’s medicines were managed well, and they received their medicines as prescribed. Staff worked closely with health care professionals and followed their advice and guidance. People told us staff contacted their doctor promptly when they felt unwell.

The service was clean, and people were protected from the risk of the spread of infection. Areas of the service had been decorated since our last inspection and further improvements were planned. People’s rooms had been personalised and they considered the service to be their home.

Lessons had been learnt when things had gone wrong. The registered manager had apologised for any mistakes or errors and had taken action to prevent similar incidents occurring again.

The service was well led by the registered manager. Staff felt supported and were clear about their role and what was expected of them. Checks on the quality of the service were completed regularly and action was taken to address any shortfalls found. People, their relatives and staff had been asked for their feedback on the service and this had been used to develop the service further.

There were enough staff with the required skills and experience to meet people’s needs. Staff had been recruited safely and checks on their character and performance in previous roles had been completed.

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

Rating at last inspection and update

The last rating for this service was requires improvement (published 23 January 2020). 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.

At our last inspection we recommended that the provider use nationally recognised tools to assess people’s needs. At this inspection we found the provider had acted on our recommendation and had introduced nationally recognised tools to identify the risk of people developing pressure ulcers.

Why we inspected

We carried out an unannounced comprehensive inspection of this service on 13 November 2019. Breaches of legal requirements were found. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve the assessment and management of risks and ensure applications to deprive people of their liberty were made in a timely way.

We undertook this focused inspection to check they had followed their action plan and to confirm they now met legal requirements. This report only covers our findings in relation to the Key Questions Safe, Effective and Well-led which contain those requirements. For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating. The overall rating for the service has changed from Requires Improvement to Good. This is based on the findings at this inspection.

We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively. This included checking the provider was meeting COVID-19 vaccination requirements.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for North Lodge Care Home on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.