Thornton Lodge Limited

Updated 4 January 2019

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.

This comprehensive inspection took place on 11 December 2018 and was unannounced. This meant the registered manager and staff did not know we would be visiting. At the last inspection in May 2016 we found the provider was meeting the regulations in all the five domains. We rated the service "good" overall.

The inspection team consisted of one adult social care inspector and one inspection manager.

We reviewed information we held about the service, including the notifications we had received from the provider. Notifications are changes, events or incidents the provider is legally obliged to send us within required timescales.

The registered provider completed a provider information return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

During the inspection we spoke with twelve people who used the service, one of the GPs who supported people in the home, three members of staff and the registered manager. We looked at three people's care files and three staff files which included staff recruitment, staff training and supervision.

Updated 4 January 2019

Thornton Lodge is a care home without nursing providing accommodation and personal care for up to 45 people with past or present mental health issues, older people and people with learning disabilities. On the day of our visit there were 39 people living in the home. The premises are in the form of a large residential home with ordinary domestic facilities.

At our last inspection we rated the service good. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection. At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

People told us they felt safe. Many of the people had been living at Thornton Lodge for more than five years and they said they were safe and secure in their home.

People received care and support from staff who knew their needs and preferences well. People were supported by staff who had also worked in the home in the long term and knew how to keep people safe. Risks to people's health and safety were assessed. There were good risk management plans in place.

People were supported by appropriate numbers of staff. Robust staff recruitment procedures helped to keep people safe.

People were supported with the safe administration of their medicines and there were regular audits undertaken by the provider to monitor the processes in place and to ensure people remained safe.

People were supported by staff who were well trained and supervised.

The provider ensured people's nutritional needs were met. People contributed to the planning of their meals and were provided with choices so that they received healthy nutritious food.

People's healthcare needs were met and staff supported them to attend medical appointments. Staff had undertaken training in the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and were aware of their responsibilities in relation to people who might be deprived of their liberty. They ensured people were given choices and the opportunity to make decisions.

People, their relatives and professionals told us staff were consistently kind and caring and established positive relationships with them and their families. Staff valued people, treated them with respect and promoted their rights, choice and independence.

Comprehensive care plans were in place detailing how people wished to be supported. We saw people were central to the process of how their care and support was delivered.

People participated in a wide range of activities within the home and in the community and received the support they needed to help them to do this.

There was a complaints procedure in place and relatives felt confident to raise any concerns either with the staff or the registered manager if they needed to. The complaints procedure was available in different formats so that it was accessible to everyone.

We found there was an open and transparent culture in the home where staff were encouraged to share in the development of the home for the people living in it.

We found the provider had a system in place that sought feedback about the quality of the service from different people involved with the service. There were good systems in place to use the feedback received to improve the service where necessary.