Westview Lodge Care Home

Westview Lodge is a care home which provides residential care for up to 74 people. It operates an intermediary service for people who need rehabilitation following an illness in hospital or crisis in their own home. It also provides care for older people and people living with a dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 72 people using the service.

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

People reported they were extremely satisfied with the service. People and relatives said staff excelled at their jobs and always went above and beyond in delivering the care. They described the little extras staff just did as a part of their job such as assisting relatives to get to the service for celebratory meals. Some people commented this had never occurred when they had used other care homes.

Staff were passionate about providing good care outcomes and took ownership for their practice. People found the service provided a high standard of care and the quality of staff working with them was exemplary.

Staff found the management team's expectation to treat everyone compassionately was an excellent approach to adopt. Staff found this enabled them to really work to their best and they really loved working for the company. They had introduced really innovative, caring and empathetic ways to support people get the best quality of life possible.

The service had developed a comprehensive activities programme, which was designed to assist people explore people's hidden talents and aspirations. The dedicated work of the activity coordinators had led to one person publishing a book, another discovering their talent for writing poems and many more having treasured experiences. Staff embraced the ethos of engagement and also undertook regular planned and impromptu activities. People were extremely complimentary about what was on offer at the service.

The team had been nominated for several awards and the registered manager had won the provider’s manager of the year award. The registered manager’s ultimate aim was to deliver holistic and compassionate care. Multiple examples were provided around how the service had enriched people’s quality of life whilst they lived at the service and assisted individuals to regain the skills to return home.

The management team had created an extremely robust governance system, which rapidly identified the smallest of issue, which was then quickly addressed.

There were enough staff on duty. An effective recruitment programme was in place. Medicine management was effective and closely monitored. Staff who administered medicines had the appropriate training.

Staff adhered to COVID-19 regulations and procedures. The registered manager ensured staff had access to ample supplies of PPE and they completed regular spot checks to make sure staff complied with the guidance and best practice.

The service completed two types of assessment, one for people receiving long-term care and the other for those individuals use the intermediary service. These were used as the basis for the care records. When necessary, external professionals were involved in individual people’s care.

Staff had received mandatory and condition-specific training. Staff supervision sessions were regularly completed, as well as competency assessments.

Staff had received training around the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and associated code of practice and felt confident applying this in their practice. 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.

On the whole people found the food provided was nutritious and enjoyable. The care records clearly set out what people wanted, how the food was to be prepared and associated risks such as choking were to be managed. Staff monitored people’s weight. It was noticeable all the records we reviewed showed individuals had gained weight.

Staff took steps to safeguard people and promote their human rights. The management team confirmed they took all concerns seriously and determined what lessons could be learnt.

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

Rating at last inspection

This service was registered with us on 1 June 2020 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection as the service had not previously been rated.

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.

Follow up

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