Archived: Drewstead Lodge

Drewstead Lodge is a residential care home providing accommodation and personal care to older people. At the time of our inspection, there was one person using the service.

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

A safe service was provided for people by staff who knew them well. There was enough staff to support people with their daily activities. The provider was aware about the safeguarding procedure and the actions they had to take if the person they supported was at risk of abuse. Risks to people using the service were monitored to ensure good care delivery. Medicines were safely administered. Effective infection prevention and control (IPC) procedures were followed to minimise the risk of catching and spreading infections.

Leadership at the service was honest, open and transparent. Family members felt the service was meeting their expectations and they were involved in the matters arising regarding their relatives. Staff used appropriate communications to interact with people. Service quality was monitored and changes were made accordingly to improve as necessary. Staff understood their responsibilities and accountability to legal requirements. The provider established effective working partnerships to promote and support people's well-being.

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was good (published 14 March 2018).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

CQC has introduced focused/targeted inspections to follow up on previous breaches and to check specific concerns. We undertook a focused inspection approach to review the key questions of Safe, and Well-led.

As no concerns were identified in relation to the key questions is the service Effective, Caring and Responsive, we decided not to inspect them. Ratings from the previous comprehensive inspections for those key questions were used in calculating the overall rating at this inspection.

The overall rating for the service remains good. 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 Drewstead Lodge on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

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.

The care home accommodates up to nine people. At the time of the inspection there was one person using the service.

At the last inspection on 18 December 2015, the service was meeting the regulations we inspected.

The service had 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 were protected from the risk of harm and abuse. Staff understood how to keep people safe and safeguarding processes were in place to support staff in reporting any allegations to the local authority. Steps were taken to mitigate any risks to people using the service.

There were sufficient numbers of staff to meet people’s needs. Staff received adequate training to support them to meet the needs of the people they cared for.

Medicines were stored, administered and managed safely. Infection control arrangements were in place to ensure that the premises were kept clean and personal protective equipment (PPE) was available. The provider had systems in place to manage any incidents, accidents or complaints.

The registered manager understood the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) and was aware of their responsibilities. Consent was sought from people before delivering care and people were encouraged to make decisions about the support they received. People were supported to access food and drink so that their dietary needs were met. Staff were aware of people’s nutritional preferences. People were supported to access healthcare professionals as and when required.

People and their relatives were involved in decisions about the care and support they received. An assessment of people’s needs took place and appropriate care plans were developed. Staff knew the people they cared for well and respected people’s likes and dislikes whilst encouraging them to maintain some independence.

Risk management plans were developed to mitigate any risk to people’s health and wellbeing. These provided appropriate guidance for staff on how to meet people’s needs and provide personalised care. The provider had a complaints policy in place.

Systems were in place to monitor and improve the service. Feedback from people and relatives was welcomed and the provider took action where needed. The registered manager spoke highly of their success in working with a number of partner agencies.

The manager told us that community nurses, chiropodists and general practitioners visited the home if required and we saw dates of these visits in the records.

We saw that the service had a copy of the current multi-agency safeguarding vulnerable people policy, along with contact details for reporting any concerns should these arise. A relative of a person who used the service told us "My mother feels safe with the staff who are very attentive."

The Registered Manager was responsible for planning the daily shifts for the service and told us that two full time members of staff lived on site. We were told no agency staff were used and the home had access to bank staff if there was a change in circumstances such as staff sickness or annual leave. One relative of a person who used the service told us "staff have good skills and the right approach."

The Registered Manager told us that an annual satisfaction survey was carried out and we reviewed written responses from relatives of people from July to November 2013. Examples included "she is extremely well cared for and in good health for her age" and "she is happy and contented and reacts very well with staff who communicate clearly with her."

We saw records of two people who use the service which included personal interests and preferences and were accurate and up to date.

The manager told us they had a system in place for requesting written feedback from the families of people who use the service. We saw responses ranging from 2012 and up to March 2013 - comments included "good care received", "supportive staff" and "happy in her surroundings".

We spoke to two members of staff who told us they enjoyed their work.

We reviewed records of training received by staff, examples included First Aid, fire safety, mental capacity act, food hygiene and risk assessment.