Argentum Lodge

Updated 29 August 2020

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.

This was a targeted inspection looking at the infection control and prevention measures the provider has in

place. As part of CQC's response to the coronavirus pandemic we are conducting a thematic review of

infection control and prevention measures in care homes.

This inspection took place on 18 August 2020 and was announced. The service was selected to take part in

this thematic review which is seeking to identify examples of good practice in infection prevention and

control.

Updated 29 August 2020

Argentum Lodge is a residential care home providing personal and nursing care to 50 people living with dementia. The home can accommodate up to 56 people.

The accommodation was arranged over three floors. People were placed on each floor, according to the stage of dementia they were experiencing. People with early stage dementia were on the ground floor and those with advanced dementia on the top floor.

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

People experienced good care. People and relatives were happy with the care they received and told us they felt involved in their care and support. We observed a pleasant and calm atmosphere in the home throughout the day. Staff were respectful and kind in their interactions.

People told us they felt safe. They were protected from the risk of abuse because staff were trained in safeguarding adults and felt confident about reporting concerns. Risk assessments were in place to guide staff in providing safe support. People received safe support with their medicines.

The culture of the home was person centred and care was planned to meet individual needs and preferences. Activities took place, which included links to the local community. This was of great benefit to people in the home. People may benefit from having access to more ‘ad hoc’ activities suited to people with dementia, such as rummage bags. People were able to report and make complaints if they needed to.

Staff were well trained and supported, and reported feeling happy working in the home. People were supported nutritionally. Staff were knowledgeable about people’s dietary needs and preferences. Staff worked with healthcare professionals to ensure people’s needs were met.

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.

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

The last rating for this service was requires improvement (published January 2018). Since this rating was awarded the provider has altered its legal entity. We have used our previous rating to inform our planning and decisions about the rating at this inspection.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating and date the service became registered under the current legal entity.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.