Background to this inspection
Updated
23 May 2019
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. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.
Inspection team:
The inspection team consisted of one inspector and an expert by experience. An expert by experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service. The expert at this inspection had experience of caring for older people.
Service and service type:
Ashdown Lodge is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at.
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 was an unannounced inspection, which meant the provider and staff were not aware that we were coming. We carried out our inspection on 9 April 2019.
What we did:
Before inspection:
•We used information the provider sent us in the Provider Information Return (PIR). Providers are required to send us key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections.
•Notifications we received from the service about important events.
•Information sent to us from other stakeholders for example the local authority and members of the public.
•We sought feedback from professionals who work with the home, including health and the local authority.
During the inspection:
•We spoke with four people who use the service, three relatives, the registered manager, the providers, team leader, two members of staff and the maintenance person.
•We used the Short Observational Framework for inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk to us.
•We pathway tracked the care of three people.Pathway tracking is where we check that the care detailed in individual plans matches the experience of the person receiving care.
•We reviewed records including accident and incident logs, quality assurance records, compliments and complaints, samples of policies and procedures and two staff recruitment records.
Updated
23 May 2019
About the service:
Ashdown Lodge is a 13-bedded care home, providing personal care and accommodation for up to 13 older people and people who have dementia. The home is situated in Rustington. At the time of our inspection there were nine people living at the home.
The home is located over two floors which are accessible via stairs or a lift shaft. The home had a lounge and dining area with a garden at the rear of the home.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk.
People’s experience of using this service:
People’s needs were not met by the design and adaptation of the building. For example, the communal toilets were not accessible to people with mobility issues. We found improvements were required, for people living with dementia to ensure people were stimulated and able to orientate themselves regarding the day, date and time.
People told us they felt safe living at the home. One person told us, “The people are friendly the staff are friendly. I’m free to do what I like, go to dinner, sit in the garden.” Staff were trained in adult safeguarding and knew how to raise concerns. Risk to people were known and documented and staff were given guidance to support people safely.
People were supported by trained staff who were knowledgeable and knew how to care for people, in line with their needs and preferences. People were supported to live as independently as possible and have maximum choice and control of their lives. Staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and the policies and systems supported this practice.
People were encouraged and supported to eat and drink well. The meals were varied, and people were able to have choice in what they ate and drank. People had access to other health care professionals and people’s health needs were monitored by staff.
Relatives and visitors were welcomed to visit people and they told us that staff treated them with kindness. We observed friendly interactions throughout the day and people appeared happy and relaxed.
Care plans described people’s preferences and needs, and people’s end of life care was discussed and planned with their wishes respected.
People were encouraged to express their views and had completed surveys. They said they felt listened to and any concerns or issues they raised were addressed.
The provider had quality assurance systems in place to monitor the standard of care and drive improvement. Systems supported people to stay safe and reduce the risks to them, ensuring they were cared for in a person-centred way.
More information is in Detailed Findings below.
Rating at last inspection: Requires Improvement (Report published on 3 May 2018).
Why we inspected: This was a scheduled inspection
Follow up: We will continue to monitor the intelligence we receive about this home and plan to inspect in line with our re-inspection schedule for those services rated Good.