Archived: Valley Lodge Care Home with Nursing

Updated 12 April 2016

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

The inspection took place on 15 December 2015 and was unannounced. The inspection team consisted of two inspectors and a specialist advisor, with specific experience of nursing and dementia care.

We looked information we held about the service, including notifications sent to us by the provider. A notification is information about important events which the provider is required to tell us about by law. We also spoke with local authority contracts department, responsible for commissioning services at Valley Lodge to gain their views. On this occasion, we had not asked the provider to send us a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. However, we offered the provider the opportunity to share information they felt relevant with us.

We spoke with nine people who used the service, two relatives, seven care workers, the activities coordinator and the chef. We also spoke with the deputy manager, area manager and the registered manager. Throughout the day, we observed care practice, including the lunchtime experience the administration of medicines as well as general interactions between people and staff.

We looked at documentation, including five people’s care and support plans, their health records, risk assessments and daily progress notes. We also looked at three staff files and records relating to the management of the service, including various audits such as medicine administration and maintenance of the environment, staff rotas, training records and policies and procedures.

Updated 12 April 2016

We inspected Valley Lodge Care Home on 15 December 2015.This was an unannounced inspection. The service was registered to provide personal and nursing care for up to 64 older people, with a range of age related conditions, including arthritis, mobility issues and dementia. The Extra Care Unit (ECU) provided specialist care and support for up to 12 people living with dementia. On the day of our inspection there were 52 people living in the home, who required varying levels of support, of whom eight were living on the ECU. Our last inspection took place on 17 January 2014 and at that time we found the provider was meeting the regulations we looked at.

A registered manager was in post and present on the day of the inspection. 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.

There was not always sufficient staff on duty to meet people’s identified care and support needs. People received care from staff who were appropriately trained and confident to meet their individual needs. They were supported to access health, social and medical care, as required.

People’s needs were assessed and their care plans provided staff with guidance about how they wanted their individual needs to be met. Care plans we looked at were centred around the individual and contained the necessary risk assessments. These were regularly reviewed and amended to ensure they reflected people’s changing support needs.

Policies and procedures were in place to help ensure people’s safety. Staff told us they had completed training in safe working practices. We saw staff supported people with patience, consideration and kindness and their privacy and dignity was respected.

People were protected by thorough recruitment procedures and appropriate pre-employment checks had been made to help protect people and ensure the suitability of staff who were employed.

People received their medicines in a timely way. Medicines were stored and administered safely and handled by staff who had received the necessary training.

People’s nutritional needs were assessed and records were accurately maintained to ensure people were protected from risks associated with eating and drinking. Where risks to people had been identified, these had been appropriately monitored and referrals made to relevant professionals.

Staff received training to make sure they knew how to protect people’s rights. The registered manager told us that to ensure the service acted in people’s best interests, they maintained regular contact with social workers, health professionals, relatives and advocates.

There was a complaints process in place. People were encouraged and supported to express their views about their care and staff were responsive to their comments.

The quality of the service was assessed and monitored through regular audits. Satisfaction questionnaires were used to obtain the views of people who lived in the home, their relatives and other stakeholders. Staff were encouraged to question practice and changes had taken place as a result.