Archived: Victoria Lodge

Victoria Lodge is registered to offer support and accommodation for up to nine people who have a past or present experience of mental ill health. On the days of our visit there were nine people living at the home.

There was a registered manager in place. 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.

People said they liked living at the home and that staff provided a good supportive service. They were given the opportunity to choose activities and whether they wished to participate in them. They felt staff provided the care they needed in a way that suited them.

People came and went as they pleased during our visit. The home provided a safe environment for people to live and work in and was well maintained, furnished and clean.

The records were comprehensive and kept up to date. The care plans contained clearly recorded information. This enabled staff to support people appropriately. The home worked with people in a recovery model to assist theme to reach their goals and aspirations.

The staff were knowledgeable about the people they worked with as individuals and had appropriate skills, qualifications and training. They were focussed on providing individualised care and support in a friendly and enabling way. Staff said they had access to good training, support and career advancement.

Staff were working within the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 which meant that they were making sure people had support in place if they needed to be assisted with decision making.

They also worked within the principles of the Mental Health Act 1983(2007) which meant they were making sure people were safe and staff were following legal guidelines.

People were protected from nutrition and hydration associated risks by being encouraged to have balanced diets although people were encouraged to buy their own food to cook.

People were encouraged to discuss health needs with staff and had access to community based health professionals, as required.

The management team at the home were approachable, responsive, encouraged feedback from people and consistently monitored and assessed the quality of the service provided.

On the day of our visit people living at the home were engaged in a range of activities which they had chosen to do. We spoke with four people living in the home. One person told us "I love it here". Another told us the staff were "always happy to help".

We spoke with three members of staff who told us they felt well supported in their work and had access to training which would help them to develop.

The new manager explained that there were problems with balancing the wishes of people who use the service, such as wanting to smoke in their rooms, and protecting other people.