Chase Lodge Care Home

Updated 7 February 2023

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

As part of this inspection we looked at the infection control and prevention measures in place. This was conducted so we can understand the preparedness of the service in preventing or managing an infection outbreak, and to identify good practice we can share with other services.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by one inspector and one Expert by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service. The Expert by Experience contacted people and their relatives by telephone to request their feedback.

Service and service type

Chase Lodge Care Home is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing and/or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement dependent on their registration with us. Chase Lodge Care Home is a care home without nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations. At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with seven people who used the service and five relatives. We spoke with six members of staff including the registered manager, nominated individual, deputy manager and support staff. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider. We undertook observations of people receiving care to help us understand their experiences. We reviewed a range of records. This included three people's care records and seven people's medicines records. We looked at three staff files in relation to recruitment and records relating to staff induction, training and supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service and quality assurance were reviewed including policies and procedures and quality audits. We sought feedback from professionals who work with the service.

Updated 7 February 2023

About the service

Chase Lodge Care Home is a residential service providing personal care for up to 21 people with mental health support needs. The service consists of one adapted building, which includes individual bedrooms and communal spaces and an accessible garden. At the time of our inspection there were 18 people using the service.

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

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices and independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ is the guidance CQC follows to make assessments and judgements about services supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people and providers must have regard to it.

At the time of the inspection, the location did not provide care or support for anyone with a learning disability or an autistic person. However, we assessed the care provision under Right Support, Right Care, Right Culture, as it is registered as a specialist service for this population group.

Right Support:

The service did not always provide people with care and support in a safe environment. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. People had a choice about their living environment and were able to personalise their rooms. Staff enabled people to access specialist health and social care support in the community. Staff supported people with their medicines in a way that promoted their independence.

Right Care:

Staff understood how to protect people from poor care and abuse. Staff had training on how to recognise and report abuse and they knew how to apply it. The service had enough appropriately skilled staff to meet people’s needs and keep them safe. The service had plans and guidance to support people with their individual risks.

Right Culture:

Systems were in place to monitor the quality of the service to people. However, quality assurance systems were not always effective at identifying and resolving issues within the service. People received consistent care from staff who knew them well. The service enabled people and those important to them to work with staff to develop the service. Staff valued and acted upon people's views. Staff ensured risks of a closed culture were minimised so that people received support based on transparency, respect and inclusivity.

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 requires improvement (published 23 October 2020) and there was a breach of regulation. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve. At this inspection we found the provider remained in breach of regulations. The service remains rated requires improvement.

Why we inspected

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection of this service on 3 and 4 September 2020. A breach of legal requirements was found. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve staff recruitment.

We undertook this focused inspection to check they had followed their action plan and to confirm they now met legal requirements. This report only covers our findings in relation to the Key Questions Safe, Effective and Well-led which contain those requirements.

We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.

For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating. The overall rating for the service has remained requires improvement. This is based on the findings at this inspection.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Chase Lodge Care Home on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Enforcement and Recommendations

We have identified a breach in relation to safe care and treatment at this inspection. We have made a recommendation regarding management oversight. Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.

Follow up

We will meet with the provider following this report being published to discuss how they will make changes to ensure they improve their rating to at least good. We will work with the local authority to monitor progress. We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.