Wellesley Lodge Residential Home

Updated 27 January 2022

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.

As part of CQC’s response to care homes with outbreaks of COVID-19, we are conducting reviews to ensure that the Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) practice is safe and that services are compliant with IPC measures. This was a targeted inspection looking at the IPC practices the provider has in place. We also asked the provider about any staffing pressures the service was experiencing and whether this was having an impact on the service.

This inspection took place on 19 January 2022 and was announced. We gave the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection.

Updated 27 January 2022

About the service

Wellesley Lodge Residential Home is a residential care home which can support up to 22 people in one adapted building. The services specialises in supporting older people living with dementia. At the time of this inspection the service was providing personal care to 17 people.

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

People were safe at the service. Staff knew how to safeguard people from abuse and how to minimise identified risks to people’s safety. Health and safety checks were carried out of the premises and equipment to make sure they were safe. The premises was clean and tidy. Staff followed good practice when providing personal care and when preparing and handling food which reduced hygiene risks.

There were enough staff to meet people’s needs safely. The registered manager regularly checked that staffing levels were meeting people’s needs at all times. The provider undertook pre-employment checks on all new staff to make sure were suitable to support people. Staff were given relevant training to help them meet people’s needs. The registered manager made sure staff had regular opportunities to review and improve their working practices to help them provide effective support to people.

People and their representatives were involved in planning and making decisions about the care and support they needed. People had an individualised care plan which set out their preferences for how their care and support needs should be provided. Staff understood how people’s needs should be met and provided the care and support which had been planned for people.

Staff were kind, caring and knew people well. They supported people in a discreet and dignified way which maintained people’s privacy and independence. People were supported to have maximum 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 were supported to stay healthy and well. Staff helped people to eat and drink enough to meet their needs and to take their prescribed medicines. Staff made sure people could access health care services when needed and worked well with other healthcare professionals to ensure a joined-up approach to the care and support people received.

Staff supported people to participate in activities and events and to maintain relationships with the people that mattered to them. There were a range of comfortable spaces around the premises where people could spend time in, when not in their room. Since our last inspection the provider had been redecorating and refurbishing the premises to make this a more accessible and pleasant place for people to live. Further redecoration and refurbishment was planned.

People and their representatives had no concerns about the care and support provided by staff. They knew how to make a complaint if needed. There were arrangements in place to make sure any accidents, incidents and complaints were fully investigated which included keeping people involved and informed of the outcome. Learning from complaints and investigations was acted on and shared with staff to help them improve the quality and safety of the support they provided.

People and their representatives spoke positively about the management of the service, particularly the new registered manager who had been appointed since our last inspection. The registered manager made sure they and staff were clear about their duties and responsibilities, to help people achieve positive outcomes in relation to their care needs.

People, their representatives, staff and others were encouraged to have their say about how the service could improve. The registered manager used their feedback along with other checks, to monitor, review and improve the quality and safety of the service. Senior staff worked proactively with other agencies and acted on recommendations to improve the quality and safety of the service for people.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Rating at last inspection and update

The last rating for this service was good (published 2 August 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating of good.

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.