Archived: Durnsford Lodge Residential Home

Is the service caring?

Is the service responsive?

Is the service safe?

Is the service effective?

Is the service well led?

This is a summary of what we found:

Is the service caring?

People we spoke with who lived at the home told us that staff were kind and caring and looked after them well. One person told us, 'Very, good care. The staff are very helpful'. A relative we spoke with said, 'Exceptional care for my relative'.

We observed people being supported to eat their lunch and we saw that people were treated with respect and affection by all the staff. As an example, we saw one person became distressed and was reluctant to eat their meal. We saw a member of staff watch and offer reassurance and suggested they moved to a quieter area. When they moved to another area a staff member supported and encouraged the person to eat by filling their fork and guiding it to their mouth. We saw the staff member sat with them and made good eye contact while keeping the person's focus on eating. We saw the person responded well to the member of staff who was patient and supported them at their own pace.

This demonstrated to us that the staff were patient and caring towards the people who lived at the home.

Is the service responsive?

We saw that the home responded quickly to changes in people's needs. We saw for example that care plans and assessments were reviewed regularly to identify changes in people's condition. We saw that a District Nurse visited on the day of our inspection to support people with their diabetes.

We saw the home was currently supporting one person, whose health had improved, to move into a flat with a care agency supplying care support. The home held regular residents' meetings. We saw the minutes of a meeting where people had identified they would like more activities. We saw that this had been actioned by the home employing a designated person every day to carry out activities. This told us the home responded to people's requests about their care and support needs. One relative said, 'We chose this home because of the staff- they are very caring'.

Is the service safe?

People told us they felt safe at the home. One person told us 'I feel safe and secure here- the staff are so kind'. Another person told us 'All they can do for me, they do- I can't ask for anymore'. A relative we spoke with told us their relation, who had lived at the home for a number of years, was very settled and went on to say, 'You hear some awful things about care homes- but this place is lovely'. We saw that the home completed risk assessments for people who lived in the home. We saw there were regular audits carried out, for example Health and Safety Audits. We saw that the management did a 'walk through the premises' to check that standards were maintained at all times.

CQC is responsible for monitoring the deprivation of liberty safeguards which applies to care homes. One person had been subject to a Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards authorisation. We saw that this had now expired. Clear documentation had been recorded, obtained and completed to ensure that where people had been deprived of their liberty, through for example, locked doors this was lawful. Each person had been assessed by the home to see if the new legislation affected them. The manager had sought advice from the CPN (Community Psychiatric Nurse) to manage the application. This meant that the provider acted to ensure that people's rights were protected and that where people were being deprived of their liberty this was in accordance with legislation.

Is the service effective?

We saw that people received effective support to maintain or support their health and wellbeing. As an example, we saw that one care plan recorded that one person was found to have a red pressure mark on them. This was referred to the District Nurse immediately for advice and support. This told us the care plan and support had been effective.

A visiting professional said, 'The communication between us and the home has improved. They are very good at informing us if people's health is a concern'. One person who used the service said, 'The home is lovely and really care for me well'.

Is the service well led?

We met and spoke to the Registered Manager and saw they were experienced and knowledgeable. Staff we spoke with told us they enjoyed working at the home, and felt they were well supported. They understood who was in charge and their individual roles. Staff told us 'I can go to the management or senior staff for advice'. One relative said, 'I am always kept informed on my relative's health'.

Staff had a good understanding of the ethos of the home and quality assurance processes were in place. Staff told us they were clear about their roles and responsibilities. All the people spoken with were happy with the staff working in the home.

We found staff had a good knowledge of people's care needs and improvements had started to be made to making care plans more individualised and person centred.

The staff we spoke with felt supported by their colleagues and felt able to share concerns they may have about people's care. Staff had their essential training needs met by the home and regular appraisals and supervision were in place.

We spoke to people who understood who they needed to talk to if they had a complaint and we saw a complaints policy in place at the home to manage any complaints.