• Care Home
  • Care home

Archived: Tollington Lodge Residential Care Home

146 Milton Road, Weston Super Mare, Avon, BS23 2UZ (01934) 620630

Provided and run by:
Mrs C Cotter

All Inspections

1 July 2014

During a routine inspection

Is the service safe?

People who lived at Tollington Lodge told us they were treated with dignity and respect by the staff that supported them. They told us that the staff were competent at their role and they felt safe within the home

Where people had identified risks, for example with mobility, we saw that an assessment had been completed and a plan to guide staff on how to support the person safely was in place.

Staffing levels were not always sufficient to ensure that people were cared for safely. The current staff numbers were not calculated on people's assessed dependency. There were times during the day when some people's individual needs meant staff were not be available to assist any other people in the home.

People were not always protected from the risks of unsafe or inappropriate care and treatment as their records did not contain accurate and appropriate information.

Is the service effective?

People told us they were involved in care planning and decisions about their daily living. The care people received reflected the needs of each individual. We saw the home had a system to review people's care needs on a monthly basis to ensure changes in people's needs were identified.

We received positive comments about the staff employed at the home and the level of care that people received. One person said, 'The staff here are good, I get everything I need.' Another person said, 'They (the staff) look after me very well here.' One person's relative said to us, 'The staff here are very good, I'm happy with the care.'

Staff said that information was shared about people to ensure any changes in a person's care needs were highlighted. We also saw that people's needs were discussed at staff meetings.

Is the service caring?

People gave positive feedback about the staff at the home and the level of care they received. One person who had recently moved into the home said the staff had been very caring and had helped them adapt to the significant change they were going through.

We saw that people received the support they needed and people told us their needs were well met by staff.

Is the service responsive?

We saw that the service involved other healthcare professionals as required. For example, district nurses were involved in relation to a person's leg ulcer and catheter. We saw from people's care records that a person's GP was called when the home was concerned about somebody, and appropriate professionals had been consulted when an increase in falls had been identified.

Is the service well led?

Some aspects of the service were not well led as action had not been taken to rectify shortfalls.

The provider had not responded when staff had identified the requirement for additional staffing at busy times to ensure people's needs could be met.

There was not a dependency assessment of people's needs that ensured sufficient staff were on duty to meet people's needs.

The provider did not have a system in operation to monitor staff record keeping that would have identified the poor record keeping we found during the inspection

We saw that there were systems in place to monitor the quality and safety of the service provided. This included resident surveys to gather the views of the people who lived at the home and their relatives.

Accidents and incidents that occurred in the home were recorded and analysed to establish any trends.

21 November 2013

During a routine inspection

On entering Tollington Lodge we found the atmosphere to be warm and welcoming. We spoke with people who used the service and staff. We observed staffs understanding of the care and support needed. The people who used the service we spoke with said that staff were "nice" and "nothing is any trouble for the girls." We noted people's rooms were tastefully decorated with their personal belongings.

We looked at people's individual files which incorporated their personal profile, care plans and risk assessments and found they encompassed the safety and well-being of people who used the service.

People who used the service told us that they knew how to raise a concern or complaint and felt confident in doing so. They said if they had any issues or concerns they could "talk to the manager" or "the girls." There were policies and procedures in place providing guidance and all staff had received relevant training courses which were identified on the training schedule.

We looked at the cleanliness and infection control procedures as well as the medicine procedures and found that the provider had adequate systems in place to ensure the safety of the people who used the service regarding the control of substances hazardous to health and the management of medicines.

21 November 2012

During a routine inspection

During our visit we spoke with eleven people who used the service. People told us they could chose how to spend their day. We saw there was information for people in the reception area of the home so that people were aware of the activities available.

One visitor said they had always been welcomed in the home and staff members were always polite and caring. They told us the 'the staff are very good.'

People we spoke with told us that they were happy and safe at Tollington Lodge. One person commenting on the staff who worked in the home told us, 'The staff are always very helpful and do what I ask them.' We observed the atmosphere and general ambiance of the home to be relaxed with meaningful interaction between staff and people who used the service.

The staff we spoke with had a very clear understanding of the care needs of people who lived in the home. We saw actions that promoted the dignity of people using the service were included in the person centred plans.

Regular audits of the premises, care practices and documentation were carried out to maintain the health safety and wellbeing of people at the home.

19 August 2011

During a routine inspection

We met and spoke with some of the people who live in the home when we visited. They told us 'I am quite content living here. We are well looked after', 'I am asked what I would like to eat for my dinner' and 'we have resident meetings and we talk about the menus and activities'.

We spoke with one visitor who was in the home and they told us that Tollington Lodge had a family atmosphere and that their relative was treated well and in a respectful manner.

People told us that they were well looked after and their care needs were met. 'I am very well looked after and I want for nothing', 'I have lived here a long time' and 'I don't have to worry about a thing, everything is taken care of'.

People appeared relaxed in the company of staff and there was a good rapport between the staff and the people who live in the home.

We spoke with those staff who were on duty. They each demonstrated a good understanding of each person's needs and how they liked to be cared for.

People receive the food and drink they need to maintain their health. They are provided with the appropriate level of support and are offered a healthy well balanced choice of meals.

People we spoke with during our visit told us that they have regular resident meetings and are asked for their views about the meals and activities. 'They are always asking if we are satisfied with things', 'the staff do their best to make sure everything is alright' and 'I am perfectly happy here'.

Staff told us that they regularly review people's care needs and amend care plans as necessary. This is to ensure that people receive the care, treatment and support that they need.