This Inspection took place on 26 November and 01 & 07 December 2015 and was unannounced. Aspen Lodge Care Home provides accommodation and care for up to 20 older people with mental health needs or people living with dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 17 people living at the home.
The home had a registered manager who had been registered since November 2010. 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.
We found safety was compromised in one area. There was no hand washing sink available in the laundry for staff to wash their hands. However staff were aware of the procedures to follow to reduce the risk of cross infection.
People felt safe. Staff had received training in safeguarding adults and knew how to identify, prevent and report abuse. However incidents of potential conflict between people were not audited effectively so the home did not learn from these incidents. The registered manager had not informed us of four incidents where a person had physical altercations with other people living at the home.
Staff sought consent from people before providing care or support. The ability of people to make decisions was assessed in line with legal requirements to ensure their liberty was not restricted unlawfully. However there was some confusion over three people’s Deprivation of Liberty safeguarding authorisation in place.
Risk assessments had been completed for the environment and safety checks were conducted regularly of gas and electrical equipment.
People were supported to receive their medicines safely from suitably trained staff and these were stored, administered and audited effectively. There were enough staff to meet people’s needs and people were attended too quickly. Relevant checks were conducted before staff started working at Aspen Lodge to make sure staff were of good character and had the necessary skills. Staff received regular training and support where they could discuss their training and development needs.
People received varied and nutritious meals including a choice of fresh food and drinks. Staff were aware of people’s likes and dislikes and offered alternatives if people did not want the menu of the day.
People were cared for with kindness, compassion and sensitivity. We observed positive interactions between people and staff.
People and their families were involved in assessing, planning and agreeing the care and support they received. People were encouraged to remain as independent as possible. Their privacy and dignity was protected.
Care plans provided comprehensive information about how people wished to receive care and support. This helped ensure people received personalised care in a way that met their individual needs.
People were supported and encouraged to make choices and had access to a wide range of activities tailored to their specific interests. ‘Residents meetings’ and surveys allowed people to provide feedback, which was used to improve the service.
People liked living at the home and felt it was well-led. There was an open and transparent culture with people able to access the community as part of their daily activities. There were appropriate management arrangements in place and staff and people told us they were encouraged to talk to the manager about any concerns.
We identified one breach of the Care Quality Commission (Registration) Regulations 2009. You can see what action we have told the provider to take at the back of the full version of the report.