We carried out a review of the data available to us about Radway Lodge Residential Home on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about Radway Lodge Residential Home, you can give feedback on this service.
Radway Lodge Residential Home provides personal care for up to 15 older people. On the day of the inspection, there were 12 people living at the service. Radway lodge is an older building over two floors with a large lounge, separate dining room and set in beautiful gardens.
People's experience of using this service and what we found
People were safe at Radway Lodge. Staff demonstrated a good knowledge of how to protect people from harm.
Medicines management was good and staff gave people their medicines as prescribed. We recommended that the provider review procedures for recording verbal dose changes and handwritten medicines records to make sure best practice guidance is always followed.
There was an effective system to identify risks associated with people's care. These were recorded and regularly reviewed. Health professionals were contacted, where appropriate, to support people as needed.
The home was clean and tidy. Radway Lodge had a robust cleaning regime in place to support good infection prevention and control.
People were supported by enough staff who were trained to meet their needs. Staff knew people well and were engaging in their interactions.
People were able to pursue their interests and attend activities in groups or one to one with staff. Mealtimes were a social event in a pleasant setting and people were able to enjoy food they liked in a way that met their needs.
People, relatives and staff spoke positively about the home. One person told us, "It is special that positive relationships extend to all staff, including the wonderful chef who gives his time freely. Dad appreciates that [Chef’s name] will go the extra mile to ensure Dad can eat what he enjoys.” A staff member said, "I love working here.”
Robust audit systems were in place to identify any areas which required improvement and action was taken to develop practice if needed. Regular health and safety checks were made to ensure the environment was safe and well maintained.
People were involved in decision making about their care and were supported to maintain independence. They were given opportunities to give feedback on their care and told us they felt comfortable in doing so.
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
Rating at last inspection
The last rating for this service was good (published 19 June 2019).
Why we inspected
We undertook this inspection as part of a random selection of services rated Good and Outstanding to test the reliability of our new monitoring approach. We also 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. We reviewed the information we held about the service.
You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the 'all reports' link for Radway Lodge Residential Home on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our reinspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.
People’s experience of using this service:
People were supported by staff that were caring, compassionate and treated them with dignity and respect. Staff knew about people’s life history, personal circumstances, their preferences, interests and communication needs.
People received person centred care from staff who developed positive, meaningful relationships with them. Radway Lodge provided a friendly, welcoming and peaceful environment for people and visitors.
People and relatives said the service was safe. Staff demonstrated an awareness of each person's safety and how to minimise risks for them. They were supported by staff with the skills and knowledge to meet their needs. Staff had regular training and felt confident in their role.
People were supported in the least restrictive way possible; the policies, systems and culture in the service supported this practice.
People were encouraged to socialise and pursue their interests and hobbies, although some people said they would like to have more to do and wanted to go out more.
Care plans were detailed and up to date about people's individual needs and preferences.
People's concerns were listened and responded to. Accidents, incidents and complaints were used as opportunities to learn and improve the service.
The service was well led. People, relatives and professionals gave us positive feedback about the quality of people's care. They said the registered manager was approachable, organised, and acted on feedback. Quality monitoring systems included audits, observation of staff practice and regular checks of the environment with continuous improvements in response to findings.
Rating at last inspection: Good. (report published 16 November 2016)
Why we inspected: This was a planned inspection based on the rating at the last comprehensive inspection. At this inspection, the service remained Good.
Follow up: We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received, we may inspect sooner.
For more details, please see full report which is on the CQC website at www.org.uk
We last inspected the service on 4 November 2014. At that inspection we found the provider was meeting all of the regulations we inspected.There were no breaches of legal requirements at the previous inspection.
Radway Lodge is a residential care home for older people. It is registered to provide accommodation for up to 15 people who require help with personal care. The service specialises in the care of older people but does not provide nursing care. At the time of the inspection there were 13 people living at the home.
There was a registered manager who was responsible for the service. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.
This was a family run service which promoted the feeling of being part of a family group. The atmosphere in the home was warm, friendly and supportive with lots of interaction between people using the service and staff. Staff engaged actively in conversation with residents. The premises were light, airy, very clean and comfortable. People living at the service had brought their own furniture which gave individual rooms a very personal feel. The service has held a good reputation in the local neighbourhood for many years
Visitors all confirmed that the home was a safe place, was a caring place and was well run. People living at the service said they felt safe, and this was supported by relatives and visitors. Staff had received training in how to recognise and report abuse. They understood what safeguarding meant and how to deal with any issues. Staffing levels were sufficient for the level of need.
Medicines were well managed and kept secure. People received their medicines in a timely way and where errors were noted, staff acted quickly to ensure people were not at risk. People were offered pain relief and received their medicines on time.Staff had been well trained, felt well supported in their roles and most were very experienced. They had a good understanding of mental capacity and consent issues and were praised for being very caring by both people using the service, their families and visiting healthcare professionals. One of them said, "The rapport between staff and patients is excellent-it's fantastic.”
People were offered a variety of activities which they could choose to take part in or not as they wished. Several of the residents were able to leave the premises independently, which are very near the town centre. Others who spent time alone in their rooms confirmed that they had free choice of activities and that their privacy and dignity was respected at all times.
People and visitors alike praised the service for the quality of its food, most of which was cooked from fresh ingredients. Mealtimes were enjoyable social occasions, mostly taken in the small dining room, although residents who preferred this had their meals served to them in rooms.
Care plans had been overhauled this year and a new revised system was in place. This gave a clear contents list and series of assessments and action plans based on people's individual needs and on their own wishes. Family members who had Power of Attorney for care and welfare had been regularly consulted about care needs and individual preferences where people could not do this themselves.
The culture of the home was that of an open, approachable management team of provider and registered manager. The registered manager had proactively take steps to protect a resident from potential financial abuse. An independent external consultant had reviewed all the quality assurance processes and some new systems had been implemented. There was a good record of partnership working and the service was held in high esteem by local healthcare professionals.
Radway Lodge is a residential care home for older people. It is registered to provide accommodation for up to 15 people who require help with personal care. The home specialises in the care of older people but does not provide nursing care. There were 14 people living at the home at the time of the inspection.
Staff had good knowledge of people including their needs and preferences. Care plans contained all the relevant information although the amount of information dating back to 2009 in some plans made it difficult for staff to access this easily. Staff said they were going to streamline the care plans but they all were able to tell us about people’s individual needs. Staff were well trained; there were good opportunities for on-going training and for obtaining additional qualifications.
People were well cared for and were involved in planning and reviewing their care if they wanted to be. There were regular reviews of people’s health and staff responded promptly to changes in need. For example, involving appropriate health professionals in a timely way. People were assisted to attend appointments with appropriate health and social care professionals to ensure they received treatment and support for their specific needs. One person was going out with staff for an optician appointment.
There was a manager who was responsible for the home. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act and associated Regulations about how the service is run.
We last inspected this service on 25 September 2013 where we found Radway Lodge to be compliant.
On the day of the inspection there was a positive and relaxed atmosphere in the home and we saw staff interacted with people in a friendly and respectful way. People were encouraged and supported to maintain their independence. They made choices about their day to day lives which were respected by staff who took time to listen to them. For example, one person preferred to be assisted to get up mid-morning and another person preferred to spend time in their bedroom. People said the home was a safe place for them to live. One person said “I need lots of help; the staff always come straight away. The girls are very helpful and there’s always plenty of people about to help me.” Staff had received training in how to recognise and report abuse. All were clear about how to report any concerns and knew where to find contact details for reporting potential abuse. Staff said they were confident that any allegations made would be fully investigated to ensure people were protected.
People said they would not hesitate in speaking with staff if they had any concerns. People knew how to make a formal complaint if they needed to but felt that issues would usually be resolved informally. We saw relatives speaking with the provider and staff throughout the day on an informal basis and the office was always open so that people could talk about any concerns at any time. A relative who visits every other day said they had no concerns about the home and in eighteen months she had “never seen anything untoward”.
People’s privacy was respected. For example, staff knocked on doors and waited for a response before entering and noticed if someone’s clothes were askew. Staff ensured people kept in touch with family and friends. Each visitor we spoke with told us they were always made welcome and were able to visit at any time or book a meal at the home. People were able to see their visitors in communal areas or in private. A relative said she has never observed anything but politeness and kindness from staff. Relatives said they were well-informed about their relative’s health. One said “They’ve called if she’s not well and they’ve taken her to the health centre”.
People were provided with a variety of activities and trips. People could choose to take part if they wished. Staff at the home had been able to build strong links with the local community. Many people were local and the home was within walking distance of the town and amenities.
There was a management structure in the home which provided clear lines of responsibility and accountability. The provider showed great enthusiasm in wanting to provide the best level of care possible. Staff had clearly adopted the same ethos and enthusiasm and this showed in the way they cared for people.
There were quality assurance processes in place to monitor care and plan ongoing improvements. There were systems in place to share information and seek people’s views about the running of the home. Although the home did not have formal relatives’ and residents’ meetings, the provider told us they talked to people individually all the time. For example, people all knew about the current building works to improve the facilities and were watching progress with interest. People’s views were acted upon where possible and practical. Quality assurance surveys were sent out and responded to individually.
People were asked for their consent before any care or treatment was offered. We checked that improvements had been made since our last visit in relation to obtaining consent for people who lacked capacity. The home had introduced a two stage mental capacity assessment. Where decisions needed to made about people's care and treatment and people lacked capacity to give consent, we saw family members and healthcare professionals were involved in decision making.
One person said, 'They are all very kind'. Another person said, 'They take good care of me' and a third said, 'I am well looked after, you couldn't get better if you were in the Ritz'. People's care needs were assessed and risk assessments and care plans we looked at showed how people were supported with their care and treatment. We found people's care and welfare needs were met by staff that were familiar with people's individual needs and preferences. We observed that staff interacted well with people, and were caring and compassionate.
The home was clean and appropriate precautions were taken to prevent the spread of infection. All areas of the home were well maintained and there was an on-going programme of decorating and repairs. People's equipment needs were assessed and appropriate equipment was available which was regularly maintained and improved.
The provider was compliant with the five standards we looked at during this inspection.
One person said 'I like the home, it's well organised and I have made some friends here'. Another person said, 'I like my room, have my own things and have lots of freedom'. A third person said, 'The staff are very good, friendly and couldn't support me more, I can't speak highly enough of them'.
We spoke with five staff including the registered manager and asked them about people's care needs. We found people's needs were assessed and their care needs met. We observed lots of warmth and humour in staff interactions with people throughout the day.
Where people did not have the capacity to consent, the provider did not fully comply with the legal requirements. This was because the provider did not undertake a two-stage test of capacity. People were supported to have their medicines safely. Records seen showed detailed care plans and risk assessments were in place to meet people's needs which were reviewed and updated regularly as needed.
The home was compliant with four of the five outcomes we inspected.
We spoke with six people living at the home, met with two visitors and observed interactions of staff with residents. We looked in detail at the care of four people who lived there. We spoke with three care workers, the manager and the provider.
People told us they really enjoyed living at Radway Lodge and felt safe and well cared for. They felt involved in the decisions made about their care. We saw people being treated with dignity and respect and helped to maintain their independence, wherever possible. People who wanted to could partake in a range of activities offered. They told us they were very happy with the quality and choice of food offered. One person, who had lived in other homes said 'it's the best place I've ever been.'
We saw that people had their health and welfare needs met. Care workers identified risks to people's health and welfare and took appropriate actions to mitigate those risks. They were knowledgeable about people's needs, likes, dislikes and preferences and we found the care given was appropriate to meet needs.
Care workers we spoke to could describe what abuse was, and tell us about their roles and responsibilities to ensure people were protected from abuse. They were confident that concerns raised within the home would be dealt with. However, information local safeguarding arrangements and contact details were not available in the home. This would make it more difficult for staff to report safeguarding concerns to appropriate outside agencies.
We found that care workers were knowledgeable, well trained and appropriately supervised and had opportunities for ongoing development. People views were listened to and any issues they identified were acted upon quickly. People told us they felt the home was well run and we found a range of systems in place for monitoring the quality of care.