We carried out a review of the data available to us about Alpine Lodge RCH Limited 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 Alpine Lodge RCH Limited, you can give feedback on this service.
Alpine Lodge RCH Limited is a care home, which provides accommodation and personal care, rehabilitation and support to adults with mental health needs. At the time of the inspection 14 people lived in the service. The service can support up to 20 people. The service is over four floors, with access to the upper floors via stairs. Each person has a single bedroom with shared bathroom facilities. There is a garden and shared patio area.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People who lived in the service told us they were happy and safe. One person said; “I've got friends here, get on with everyone” and another said; “This is the best one (home) I've been to. The staff, the food, the décor, it's comfy.” People looked relaxed, happy and comfortable with staff supporting them. Staff were caring and spent time chatting with people as they moved around the service.
The environment was safe and there was equipment available to support staff in providing safe care and support. Health and safety checks of the environment and equipment were in place. Medicines were ordered, stored and disposed of safely.
People were supported to access healthcare services, staff recognised changes in people's health, and sought professional advice appropriately. Records were accessible and up to date.
Staff received appropriate training and support to enable them to carry out their role safely, including fire safety and mental health training. Staff were recruited safely in sufficient numbers to ensure people’s needs were met. There was time for people to have social interaction and go out into the community. Staff knew how to keep people safe from harm.
Cleaning and infection control procedures had been updated in line with COVID-19 guidance to help protect people, visitors and staff from the risk of infection.
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.
Records of people's care were individualised and reflected each person’s needs and preferences. Risks were identified, and staff had guidance to help them support people to reduce the risk of avoidable harm. People’s communication needs were identified, and where they wanted, people had end of life wishes explored and recorded.
People and staff told us the registered manager made themselves available and assisted them daily. They went onto say how they were approachable and listened when any concerns or ideas were raised. One person said; “(Named the registered manager) is marvellous, everyone loves her, she's got a way with people. Been here years. If there’s any problem she will sort it out.”
People and their families were provided with information about how to make a complaint and details of the complaint’s procedure were displayed at the service.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection and update
The last rating for the service was requires improvement. (published 11 January 2020.) At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the services' overall rating is now good.
Why we inspected
This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.
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.
Alpine Lodge RCH Limited is a residential care home providing personal care, rehabilitation and support to adults with mental health needs. 15 people lived in the service at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to 20 people.
The service is over four floors, with access to the upper floors via stairs. Each person has a single bedroom with shared bathroom facilities. There is a garden and outside shared patio area.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People who lived in the service told us they were happy.
Risks in relation to people’s care and the environment were not assessed, understood and managed in a way that kept them safe. People told us they felt safe and appeared comfortable when staff were with them.
People were not always supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff did not support them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service did not support this practice.
People told us staff knew how to meet their needs. Staff told us they were happy with the training they had completed. However, there was no specialised training in supporting people with mental health needs. People told us they enjoyed the food at the service.
People told us staff were kind and caring. Comments included, “Staff are so friendly” and “Staff are marvellous.” People’s dignity was not always upheld as some of the language used in records was not respectful.
People’s care plans did not evidence how they were involved in their care and support. Care plans contained limited information on how staff should meet people’s individual needs, preferences, goals, and social activities. Staff knew people well and were able to tell us about their preferences. Records relating to complaints were not well organised.
Quality assurance and governance systems were not in place to assess, monitor and improve the quality and safety of the service. Staff told us they felt listened to by the registered manager and enjoyed working at the service.
We have identified breaches in regulation relating to person centred care, need for consent, safe care and treatment, staff training and governance at this inspection. We also made recommendations in relation to the refurbishment of the environment and meeting people’s communication needs.
Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of the report. 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 2 June 2017).
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
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.
Alpine Lodge is a residential home providing care, rehabilitation and support for up to 20 people with mental health needs. Some people are detained under the Mental Health Act and are under supervision in the community.
At this inspection there were 15 people living at the service.
At the last inspection, the service was rated Good.
At this inspection we found the service remained Good.
Why the service is rated Good.
The service had a registered manager in post. 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.
On the day of the inspection staff were relaxed, and there was a calm, quiet atmosphere. Everybody had a clear role within the service. Information we requested was supplied promptly, records were organised, clear, easy to follow and comprehensive.
People were comfortable with staff supporting them and we observed positive interactions. Care records were in date, personalised and gave people control over aspects of their lives. Staff responded quickly when they noted changes to people’s mental or physical well-being contacting the appropriate health professionals for example people’s mental health nurses. People or where appropriate those who mattered to them, were involved in discussing people’s care needs and how they would like to be supported. People’s preferences for care and treatment were identified and respected.
Staff exhibited a kind and compassionate attitude towards people. Positive, caring relationships had been developed and practice was person focused and not task led. Staff had appreciation of how to respect people’s individual needs around their privacy and dignity.
People’s risks were managed well and monitored. People were promoted and encouraged to live full and active lives. Staff were thoughtful in finding ways to overcome obstacles that restricted people’s independence.
People had their medicines managed safely. People received their medicines as prescribed, received them on time and understood what they were for. People were supported to maintain good health through regular access to health and social care professionals, such as GPs, mental health nurses, social workers, occupational therapists and physiotherapists.
People we observed were safe. The environment was uncluttered and clear for people to move freely around the home. All staff had undertaken training on safeguarding vulnerable adults from abuse, they displayed good knowledge on how to report any concerns and described what action they would take to protect people against harm.
People were supported by staff that confidently made use of their knowledge of the Mental Capacity Act (2005), to make sure people were involved in decisions about their care and their human and legal rights were respected. The service followed the processes which were in place which protected people’s human rights and liberty.
People were supported by a staff team that had received a comprehensive induction programme, training for mental health conditions and ongoing support from the registered manager.
People were protected by the service’s safe recruitment practices. Staff underwent the necessary checks which determined they were suitable to work with vulnerable adults, before they started their employment.
The service had a policy and procedure in place for dealing with any concerns or complaints.
No written complaints had been made to the service in the past twelve months.
People and described the management to be supportive and approachable. Staff talked positively about their jobs. The registered manager was supported by a deputy manager and the provider.
There were effective quality assurance systems in place. Incidents were appropriately recorded and analysed from trends. Learning from incidents and concerns raised was used to help drive improvements. Inspection feedback was listened to which further enhanced the quality of care.
The inspection took place on 29 and 30 January 2015 and was unannounced.
Alpine Lodge is a residential home providing care, rehabilitation and support for up to 20 people with mental health needs. Some people are detained under the Mental Health Act and are under supervision in the community. Alpine Lodge has a registered manager. 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.
During the inspection people and staff appeared relaxed, there was a calm and pleasant atmosphere. Comments included; “I feel safe here and looked after”; “I’m happier here, staff are kind”; “Staff are very approachable and caring” and “The staff are nice.”
Care records were individualised and gave people control. Staff responded quickly to people’s change in needs. People were involved in identifying their needs and how they would like to be supported. People’s preferences were sought and respected. “I’ve been to lots of places like this – the staff are by far the best, they care and they always have time to talk to me.”
People’s risks were managed well and monitored. People were promoted to live full and active lives and were supported to be a part of the local community. Activities were varied and reflected people’s interests and individual hobbies.
People’s medicines were managed safely. People received their medicines as prescribed and on time. People were supported to maintain good health through regular access to healthcare professionals, such as GPs, mental health professionals (CPNs) and social workers.
People told us they felt safe. Comments “Yes, they keep me safe”; “Staff are very good at keeping me safe. They give me suggestions for when I’m feeling bad, get me out, distract me.”
People’s human and legal rights were respected. Staff understood their role with regards to the Mental Capacity Act (2005) (MCA) and the associated Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). Applications were made and advice was sought to help protect people and respect their human rights. All staff had undertaken training on safeguarding adults from abuse. Staff displayed good knowledge on how to report any concerns and described what action they would take to protect people against harm. Staff told us they felt confident any incidents or allegations would be fully investigated.
Staff described the management as very open, supportive and approachable. People told us the registered manager was a visible presence within the home. Staff talked positively about their jobs telling us they enjoyed their work and felt valued. The staff we met were caring, kind and compassionate.
Staff received a comprehensive induction programme. There were sufficient staff to meet people’s needs. Staff were appropriately trained and had the correct skills to carry out their roles effectively. One staff member said “I was supported throughout my induction and have since been supported to do my NVQ.”
There were effective quality assurance systems in place. Incidents were appropriately recorded, investigated and action taken to reduce the likelihood of reoccurrence. People knew how to raise a complaint if they had one. One person said “No complaints – I’d talk to staff if I had any.” Feedback from people, friends, relatives and staff was encouraged and positive. Learning from incidents, feedback and inspections were used to help drive improvements and ensure positive progress was made in the delivery of care and support provided by the home.
We found the home was clean and uncluttered. Infection control policies and procedures were followed.
We spoke with five people who use services. People were happy to talk with us about the personal circumstances that lead them to live at Alpine Lodge. One person said "if I had to go anywhere I'd always come here". Another person said "I am very happy here and have lived here for a long time". All the people we spoke with gave positive feedback about the service and said that the care staff respected their choices about the way that they wanted the care to be delivered.
We spoke with the manager, deputy and the two care staff on duty. The manager explained the ethos of the service to us and assisted us throughout the visit. We spoke with the two care staff about how they met people's needs and their own personal development. One member of staff said "this is a very good place to work".
We found that the home had an effective quality assurance system in place to assess and monitor quality of service and it's records. This meant that people received safe and appropriate care and treatment.
Records required by regulation for the protection of people and for the effective running of the business were maintained up to date and accurate.
There was recorded evidence in the care plans of the involvement of community health professionals and effective review procedures.
We spoke with five people, the manager and two carers. We spent time observing how people were cared for and lunch time and looked at four care plans. We checked how people were cared for at each stage of their treatment and care. On the day of our inspection we were told that 16 people were living at the home and receiving care from the service.
One person said 'I like living here. It's good. I like the staff.' All the people we spoke with were positive about their experience.
Care plans included the promotion of life skills such as cleaning, laundry and cooking and personal development goals. Staff gave examples of the progress people had made in their mental health recovery. Staff were proactive in involving the mental health team and had improved their practice regarding the safeguarding of vulnerable adults.
Medicines were safely managed. Staff were receiving appropriate support for their role and systems were in place to assess and monitor the quality of the service
Another person described the home as 'not a bad old place'. They liked the 'showers, TV and radios and going out for walks'. One person described the home as 'alright, cool' and said the food was 'good' and they had a 'good room'.
We spoke to one person who had lived at the home and now had occasional respite care. They said the home was 'very well run and the manager was excellent'. The 'food was very nice and they were well fed and kept'. They described the home as 'clean' and the staff as 'very helpful'.