The Lodge

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee autistic people and people with a learning disability the choices, dignity, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. Right support, right care, right culture is the statutory guidance which supports CQC to make assessments and judgements about services providing support to people with a learning disability and/or autistic people.

The Lodge is a residential care home providing accommodation and personal care for up to four people who have a learning disability, autistic spectrum disorder or physical disabilities. At the time of the inspection four people were living at the service.

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

Right Support

People’s independence was promoted, people had a choice of how they wanted to live their life and staff supported them to achieve their goals.

People’s medicines were managed safely. People were enabled to access specialist health and social care support as required and supported to maintain their own health and well-being.

People had a choice about their living environment and were given an opportunity to personalise their rooms to reflect their interests and hobbies.

People received care and support from skilled and knowledgeable staff who were able to meet people’s needs and keep them safe.

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.

Right Care

People’s care, support and treatment records reflected their individual needs and how to promote their well-being whilst providing care and support.

People received kind and considerate care from staff who promoted and respected people’s dignity and privacy. Staff understood people’s varying needs and responded accordingly.

People were protected from poor care and abuse by staff who understood how to protect people from harm. Staff had training on how to recognise abuse and staff knew how to report any concerns they might have.

People took part in a wide variety of activities that interested them.

Right Culture

People were supported to live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes, that included choice, control and independence.

People received care and support from a consistent staff team who knew them well.

The registered manager was available and visible to people, their relatives and staff which promoted an open, inclusive and empowering culture.

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 21 June 2018).

Why we inspected

We undertook this inspection as part of a random selection of services rated Good and Outstanding.

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 until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.

The Lodge is a care home. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

The Lodge is a large detached property with accommodation and facilities on two floors. A lift is available for people with physical and mobility needs. Bedrooms and communal areas provide sufficient space for people with complex needs to be supported.

At the last inspection on the 16 and 25 and 28 September 2015 the service was rated as Good.

At the inspection we found the service remained Good.

Why the service continues to be rated as Good.

People were safe living at the home and with staff supporting them. We saw people were happy and trusted the staff. There were systems in place to assess and minimise risks to people. These included a robust recruitment process and making sure staff knew how to recognise abuse or poor practice. There were adequate numbers of staff to meet people’s needs and to keep them safe.

Staff assessed and understood risks associated with people’s care and lifestyle. Risks were managed effectively to keep people safe whilst maintaining people’s rights and independence.

People received effective care from staff who knew them well, and had the skills and knowledge to meet their needs. Staff monitored people’s health and well-being and made sure they had access to social and healthcare services according to their needs.

People had their medicines managed safely, and received their medicines in a way they chose and preferred. Staff undertook regular training and competency checks to test their knowledge and to help ensure their skills in relation to medicines were up to date and in line with best practice.

People are supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff support them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service support this practice.

People were supported by staff who were kind and caring. When people were distressed or found it difficult to express their feelings, staff showed patience and understanding. People’s privacy and dignity was promoted and maintained.

People were supported to enjoy an active lifestyle doing things that interested them and they wanted to do. Relatives were welcomed into the home and involved in important matters relating to their loved ones care and the service.

Systems were in place to deal promptly and appropriately to any concerns or complaints. Relatives said their views and concerns were listened to and acted on. The registered manager used concerns, complaints and other incidents as opportunities to learn and improve the service.

The home was well-led by an experienced registered manager. Staff were clear about their roles, responsibilities and values of the service. The provider had systems in place to monitor the quality of the service, seek people’s views and make on-going improvements.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

Where people were unable to give verbal consent to aspects of their care and treatment, family, health and social care professionals were involved in decision making. Staff were trained in the Mental Capacity Act (2005) and applied this to their daily work.

People's needs were assessed and care planned and delivered according to their individual needs. This ensured people's welfare and safety.

People's nutritional needs and eating habits were assessed. People were given support to eat well and their weight was monitored.

Staff received an induction when they started work at The Lodge, participated in the mandatory training programme and had access to regular supervision from a senior colleague. This helped staff feel supported and reflect on their future development needs.

There was a complaints policy in place at the home and people felt able to approach the staff to discuss any concerns they may have. These were listened to and acted upon promptly.

We spent time speaking to staff and observing the care being provided. One person using the service said 'It's nice living here, I have a nice room, I still get to go home and visit my mum and dad'

We saw that staff treated people respectfully, promoting choice and independence whenever possible.

The staff we spoke to said that The lodge was a good place to work. One staff member said ' People are encouraged to do things for themselves, the staff work in a consistent way, which people using the service need and benefit from'

People had access to a full range of health care services and the service ensured that decisions about people's health were made in their best interests. We observed that staff had the skills and knowledge to respond to serious changes in people's health. This ensured that people received the correct treatment and support in a timely and appropriate manner.

Staffing levels ensured that people were kept safe as well as being able to access a wide range of opportunities within the local community.

Systems were in place to regularly check the quality of the service and changes were made when a need improvements were identified.