Archived: Whyke Lodge Care Home

Whyke Lodge Care Home is a care home without nursing for up to 23 people. On the day of our inspection there were 17 people living at the service. It specialises in care for older people some who are living with dementia.

People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

There was a registered manager in post. 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.

At the last inspection on 3 September 2016, the service was rated Good. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of Good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

Why the service remains Good:

We met and spoke with most of the people living in Whyke Lodge during our visit, however, not all people were able to fully verbalise their views. We therefore spent time observing people with the staff supporting them. Some people could tell us in more detail about the care and support they received. Staff told how they used other methods of communication with people who could not verbally express their views, for example showing people pictures of food choices.

People remained safe at Whyke Lodge. People who were able to, told us they felt safe living there. Comments received included; “I do feel safe here, no problems.” A relative said; “I come in every day but if I didn’t I wouldn’t worry at all.” Professionals agreed people where safe.

People continued to receive their medicines safely from staff who had regular and updated training. People were protected by safe recruitment procedures. This helped to ensure only suitable staff were employed to work with vulnerable people. People, relatives, professionals and staff spoken with confirmed there were sufficient numbers of staff to keep people safe. Staff said they had sufficient time to meet people’s needs and support them when needed.

People’s risks were assessed, monitored and managed by staff to ensure they remained safe. Risk assessments were completed to enable people to retain as much independence as possible.

People continued to receive care from a staff team that had the skills and knowledge required to effectively support them. Staff had completed safeguarding training. Staff without formal care qualifications completed the Care Certificate (a nationally recognised training course for staff new to care). The Care Certificate training looked at and discussed the Equality and Diversity and Human Rights policy of the company.

People continued to receive a caring service. People were observed to be treated with kindness and compassion by the staff who valued them. All staff demonstrated kindness for people through their conversations and interactions. Staff respected people’s privacy. People or their representatives, were involved in decisions about the care and support people received.

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’s wishes for their end of life were clearly documented. People's healthcare needs were monitored by the staff and people had regular access to healthcare professionals.

People’s care and support was based on legislation and best practice guidelines, ensuring the best outcomes for people. People’s legal rights were upheld and consent to care was sought. People who required assistance with their communication needs had these individually assessed and met. This meant people were able to communicate their choices about their day to day lives. The provider had a complaints policy in place and records showed all complaints had been investigated and all responses documented.

The service responded to people's individual needs and provided personalised care and support. People’s equality and diversity was respected and people were supported in the way they wanted to be. Care plans were person centred and held full details on how people’s needs were to be met, taking into account people’s preferences and wishes. Information held included people’s previous history including medical, jobs and family history. People’s cultural, religious and spiritual needs were also documented.

The service continued to be well led. Clear leadership and governance was provided with the provider’s governance framework, monitoring the management and leadership of the service. The provider’s values and vision were embedded into the service, staff and culture. The provider had monitoring systems which enabled them to identify good practices and areas of improvement. People, relatives, staff and professionals said the registered manager and business manager were approachable and made themselves available to speak to people. The provider and the management team listened to feedback and reflected on how the service could be further improved.

People lived in a service which had been adapted to meet people’s individual needs. The provider monitored the service to help ensure its ongoing quality and safety.

Whyke Lodge Care Home provides care and support for up to 23 older residents, all of whom have cognitive impairments such as Alzheimer’s, dementia and memory loss. At the time of our visit there were 20 people living at the home.

The service has a registered manager. 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, relatives, staff and professionals spoke highly of the home and had confidence in the care provided. We found that Whyke Lodge Care Home was providing a high standard of care to people.

People had good relationships with the staff who supported them. Staff took time to get to know people and to understand their needs and wishes. Staff spent time with people on an individual basis and offered support in a way that upheld their privacy and dignity.

Staff were skilled in supporting people living with dementia. There were enough staff on duty to support people safely and to ensure that their needs were met. The staffing numbers provided flexibility to offer one to one support to people if they were feeling anxious, to help people participate in activities and to support them if they wished to go out in the community. Staff had received training and were supported by the management through supervision and appraisal. Staff were able to pursue additional training which helped them to improve the care they provided to people.

People and their representatives were actively involved in planning and reviewing their care. Staff took time to understand people’s interests and wishes so that they could tailor their support. We observed that people received sensitive, caring and prompt support from staff. Staff understood how people’s capacity should be considered and had taken steps to ensure that people’s rights were protected in line with the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS).

Staff were proactive in monitoring people’s health and in anticipating changes in their needs. This meant that additional support or equipment could be arranged in good time. Staff took note of people’s wishes and advocated on their behalf if they felt changes in their care were needed.

People felt safe at the service. Staff understood local safeguarding procedures. They were able to speak about the action they would take if they were concerned that someone was at risk of abuse.

Risks to people’s safety were assessed and reviewed. People received their medicines safely.

People enjoyed home-cooked food and were able to make suggestions for dishes they would enjoy. Staff were attentive and supported those who required assistance to eat or drink. People’s weight was monitored and prompt action taken if any concerns were identified.

People were supported to participate in activities that interested them. There was a full activity programme on offer at the home which people told us they enjoyed. People who were not able to join in group activities were supported on a one to one basis by staff.

There was strong leadership within the home. The registered manager and deputy monitored the delivery of care and had a system to monitor and review the quality of the service. Suggestions on improvements to the service were welcomed and people’s feedback encouraged.

Everyone told us that they were happy with the care and support they received. Comments included, 'It's very nice here, they are chatty and chirpy', 'The cook too he's a good chap' and 'I have my meals in my room, I prefer it like that'.

Staff demonstrated a strong commitment to support people with dementia with their emotional and psychological needs. We saw staff worked hard to ensure the personal care needs of people were met. They also ensured they spent time socialising with people to build relationships and trust. One member of staff told us, "Everyone is encouraged to work together and to recognise that everyone is an individual and better at some things than others".

People also told us that they were happy with the support they received from the home to access healthcare professionals. We found that the home had good systems in place that ensured information was shared appropriately with other professionals and for when people received planned or emergency treatment at hospital. A relative said, "I'm called immediately if there are any health concerns and they get medical attention promptly which happened once last year, I couldn't fault them. X (referring to their family member) has been in bed for a year but has never had any sores. X is turned regularly and is always hydrated and fed and nourished. X sees the dietician. X had lost weight some time ago but has now put weight back on after the dietician has been involved.'

There were systems for monitoring the quality of services provided by the home. This included involving and informing people. As a result, people with dementia received a consistently high quality service.

We made observations throughout the visit and saw people being offered choices as to what they wanted to eat or what activities they wanted to take part in during the day. We saw people being addressed in a respectful manner. We looked at peoples individual care plans and saw that the information recorded enabled staff to plan and deliver the required level of care and support on an individual basis.

We saw that regular audits of the service were completed by the provider ensuring that people who used the service benefit from a service that monitors the quality of care that people received.

Staff told us that they had received regular training and that they felt that they were supported to carry out their roles and meet the needs of people who used the service.

People said that they had no complaints about the service and that if they did they would speak to the staff or the manager