Archived: Pelham Lodge Residential Care Home

Updated 22 November 2016

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, to look at the overall quality of the service and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

We undertook an unannounced comprehensive inspection of Pelham Lodge on 11 October 2016. This service was last inspected in November 2013, when they were compliant with the regulations we checked

The provider completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We also looked at all the other information we held about the service, including previous reports, complaints, safeguarding alerts, monitoring information from the local authority and notifications. A notification is information about important events which the provider is required to tell us about by law.

During the inspection we spoke with four people who used the service and three relatives. We spoke with the registered manager, a senior care worker and two care assistants. We observed care during the day including a lunch service.

We looked at six care records and five staff recruitment, supervision and training records. We also looked at audits, medicines records, accidents & incident records, training and safeguarding information and policies and procedures for the service.

Updated 22 November 2016

This inspection took place on 11 October 2016 and was unannounced.

Pelham Lodge is a care home located in Gravesend in Kent. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to 10 older people some of whom have dementia care needs. The home also provided palliative care, which is care for people who have a terminal illness.

On the day of our inspection, the service was fully occupied with 10 people living there. People were accommodated in a large house, in single rooms with en-suite facilities. There was a garden and patio area for people to relax during suitable weather.

The service had a registered manager in place at the time of our inspection. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the CQC 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.

Staff understood their responsibilities to protect the people in their care. They were knowledgeable about how to protect people from abuse and from other risks to their health and welfare. Medicines were managed and handled safely for people. Arrangements were in place to keep people safe in the event of an emergency. The service demonstrated good practice with regards to the administration, recording, auditing, storage and disposal of medicines. People were supported to take their medicines on time and medicine records were up to date.

There were sufficient staff to meet people’s needs. Staff were attentive, respectful, patient and interacted well with people. People told us that they were happy and felt well cared for. Risk assessments were in place about how to support people in a safe manner.

Staff undertook training and received supervision to support them to carry out their roles effectively. However, we noted large gaps where supervision meetings with staff, had not taken place. We made a recommendation for the registered manager to establish more robust systems to ensure staff received appropriate support and professional development.

People were supported to consent to care and treatment. The service operated in line with the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards. Staff training records showed they had attended training in MCA and DoLS.

People’s needs were assessed before they moved in to the service. The care plans were person centred and tailored to meet their needs. Care plans were regularly reviewed to reflect people's changing needs. People were encouraged to develop and contribute to their care plans wherever possible. People were supported to maintain good health and had access to health care services when it was needed. People received a nutritionally balanced diet to maintain their health and wellbeing.

People and staff told us they found the registered manager approachable and that they listened to them. People felt comfortable sharing their views and speaking with the staff if they had any concerns or complaints. The provider sought feedback about the care provided and monitored the service to ensure that care and treatment was provided in a safe and effective way to meet people’s needs.