Archived: Hazelgarth Lodge Residential Care Home

Hazelgarth Lodge is a care home in the village of Hunmanby. It provides accommodation for up to 11 older people who require assistance with personal care. At the time of our visit there were 11 people who used the service.

At the last inspection on 6 November 2015 the service was rated as ‘Good’. At this inspection we found the service remained ‘Good’.

The provider is not required to have a registered manager in post. The provider manages the service. We have referred to them as the manager throughout this report. 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 told us they felt safe and were well cared for. The manager followed robust recruitment checks, to employ suitable people. There was sufficient staff employed to assist people in a timely way. People’s medicines were managed safely.

Staff had completed relevant training or were booked on a refresher course where needed. We found that they received supervision, to fulfil their roles effectively. People were supported to have choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People said they enjoyed good food. People's health needs were identified and staff worked with other professionals, to ensure these needs were met. People’s independence was promoted. The service provided people with care that met their wishes and choices, whilst protecting their privacy and dignity.

Staff were knowledgeable about people’s individual care needs and care plans were person centred and detailed. People were satisfied with the level of activities within the service and said they enjoyed the company of others in the service. Spiritual needs were met through in-house services and one-to-one pastoral care when requested.

People told us that the service was well managed and organised. The manager assessed and monitored the quality of care provided to people. People and staff were asked for their views and their suggestions were used to continuously improve the service.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

We found that the provider had taken action to ensure that relevant information was recorded in staff files and that the recruitment, selection and induction processes used were appropriate. We also found that the files held for staff and people who used the service had been reviewed, updated and improved to ensure that the quality of information recorded was appropriate.

We spoke with several relatives who told us 'I have no complaints. The staff are great and look after my relative. They always help them when they need help' and 'The staff work really hard to maintain my relative's dignity and they make sure they are looked after. We know they are coming to the end of their life but the provider promised me they could stay'.

We found that people received food and drinks on a regular basis although it was also found that there was not always a choice of what to eat. People were very satisfied with the quality of the food served.

When we looked at staff recruitment and induction we found that checks were not always carried out and induction training was not recorded. There had been improvements in the quality assurance systems and people who used the service were able to be involved in suggesting improvements. There was a robust complaints system available.

We saw that some records were not up to date and that some recording was insufficient. Although the provider had started to make some improvements these had not been to a sufficient level to ensure that risks were minimised.

We looked at the ways in which people gave consent to care and treatment and found that this was done appropriately and regularly by staff verbally although there was no written forms of consent for anything in people's files.

We observed that there was a high level of care being delivered and the interaction between staff and people who used the service was very good. The home had a relaxed homely feel and people appeared happy and well groomed.

We carried out a tour of the building and found all areas to be clean and hygienic. The service was following infection control procedures and staff had good knowledge of the importance of infection control practices.

We looked at the systems in place for supporting staff and found staff felt very well supported although there were no longer formal processes in place for this. Staff were given opportunities to complete training and qualifications.

There was a lack of recording of monitoring and auditing within the home and some areas were not audited at all. Much of the paperwork being used was out of date or not fully completed. There were some documents and policies not in place in the home that should have been.