Archived: Whitworth Lodge

An adult social care inspector carried out this inspection. The focus of the inspection was also to answer five key questions; is the service safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led?

At the time of our visit, there were six people using the service. We met with five of them, one of the registered owners, the registered manager and three care staff. We looked at four people's care files, as well as other records held by the provider including those kept for staff training and staff allocation.

Below is a summary of what we found. The summary describes what people using the service and the staff told us, what we observed and the records we looked at.

If you want to see the evidence supporting our summary please read the full report.

Is the service safe?

People told us that staff listened to them and that they felt safe. People said they could talk to staff if they had any worries or concerns.

At our last inspection we found that there were not always enough staff to meet the needs of the people using the service. In response, the provider told us they had reviewed the staffing arrangements and employed an additional waking night staff. At this visit we saw that these changes had been put in place and there were enough staff on duty to meet the needs of the people living at the home. One person using the service told us 'it's much better now.'

There were risk assessments in place which were personalised and set out what to do to keep people safe. Behavioural guidelines informed staff how to support people to manage their behaviour in a positive way and reduce known stress and anxiety triggers.

Is the service effective?

We asked staff to tell us about the needs of some of the people using the service. Staff gave responses which showed that they knew people well and were providing support based on their individual needs and choices.

People were supported to stay healthy and well and they were supported to access a range of health and social care professionals to meet their needs. The service had made timely referrals for health and social care support when they identified concerns in the person's wellbeing. Records showed that staff had followed the advice and guidance provided by health and social care professionals.

Is the service caring?

People who spoke with us were positive about the care they received. They felt that staff listened to them and were approachable. One person told us "the staff are very nice.'

People's preferences, interests, aspirations and diverse needs had been recorded and care and support had been provided in accordance with their wishes.

We saw that staff showed understanding, patience and gave encouragement when supporting people.

Is the service responsive?

Since our last inspection, the manager had improved the care records and information held about people using the service. We saw that care plans were reviewed regularly and staff at Whitworth Lodge responded to changes in people's needs or circumstances.

People were regularly involved in a range of activities in and outside the service, which met their individuals' needs and interests.

Staff we spoke with felt there had been improvements since our last inspection. They had attended more training which supported them in their role and was specific to the individual needs of the people that lived there.

Is the service well-led?

The home had a registered manager who was experienced and knowledgeable about the needs of the people who lived at Whitworth Lodge. One member of staff told us they felt supported and described the manager as 'very good, helpful and she encourages you.'

External professionals were involved in people's care so that the person's health and social care needs were monitored and met. The service worked well with other agencies to make sure the person using the service received care in a joined up way. For example, the service had been working with Croydon local authority to improve staff training.

A professional told us that there had been improvements at the service and there was 'more focussed support' for people.

Where previously we had found improvements were needed and set compliance actions, the manager had implemented changes to achieve compliance.

At the time of our visit, there were six people using the service. We met with two of them, one of the registered owners and two care staff.

We found that the arrangements for safeguarding vulnerable adults had been strengthened. There were appropriate procedures in place and staff had completed relevant training on protecting people from abuse and managing challenging behaviours. The service had also been working with Croydon local authority to make the required improvements.

During this inspection we met all six of the people who use the service, although two people were out for much of the day. Some people had lived at Whitworth Lodge for several years. We spoke with two people. They told us they got on well with the staff. One person told us 'It's alright here.' Another person told us 'Things are ok here.' We spoke with family members for four people at the service. Most of them told us they were very happy with the care provided. One relative told us 'It's the best place they have ever been in.' However we had concerns that people's needs were not always met and that their safety and welfare was not always assured.

Some compliance actions remained outstanding. There had been two safeguarding alerts since the last inspection in which the provider had not always followed safeguarding procedures. We found the provider had not always taken reasonable steps to identify the possibility of abuse and prevent abuse from happening .

We looked at records at the service. We found that medication was handled safely and that appropriate recruitment procedures were in place. There were quality assurance mechanisms in place to monitor the quality of the service. Since the last inspection the provider partnership had updated their training across essential areas. We found however that records were not always adequately maintained.

We met with the registered manager and one partner from the provider partnership. We spoke with staff who were working during our inspection visit. We spoke with the remaining staff team members by telephone. We also spoke with a care manager from the local authority who had visited the service in recent months. We had concerns that there were not always sufficient and experienced staff to safely meet people's needs.

The communal areas were clean, comfortable and homely, and adequate safety checks had been made. We looked at the records and spoke to staff. We saw that there were various ways that people who used the service could make a complaint and a complaints system was in place. There were adequate systems in place for the administration and disposal of medication.

However the safeguarding policy was out of date and not all staff training was up to date. Current guidance on staff recruitment was not being followed and the registered provider had not kept themselves up to date with appropriate training.