Coneygar Lodge

Updated 3 March 2021

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.

As part of CQC’s response to the coronavirus pandemic we are looking at the preparedness of care homes in relation to infection prevention and control. This was a targeted inspection looking at the infection control and prevention measures the provider has in place.

This inspection took place on 17 February 2021 and was announced.

Updated 3 March 2021

This inspection took place on 14 and 17 September 2018. This inspection was unannounced.

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

Coneygar Lodge is located in Bridport, Dorset. The home accommodates 22 people in four separate buildings situated around a courtyard, each of which has separate adapted facilities.

There are 22 single rooms, 21 of which are en-suite. All but three rooms are accessed from the ground floor. The three first floor rooms are accessed via stairs and there is a stair lift available. At the time of the inspection there were 22 people living at the service.

There was a registered manager in position. 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.’

The service was exceptionally well led. The service benefitted from strong leadership. The registered manager was passionate about providing person centred care and this was reflected in every aspect of the service. The registered manager worked in partnership with other organisations and had taken part in several good practice initiatives designed to further develop the service. They were enthusiastic and committed to providing the best service possible. Their focus included the promotion of dignity and valuing people's diverse needs to provide a very high standard of person centred care.

There was a 'whole team' approach which was the driving force in delivering a truly person centred service. Staff who had shown interest in specific areas, such as infection control medicines and end of life were designated 'Champions'. These champions played an essential role in developing best practice, sharing learning and acting as role models for other staff. An end of life champion told us their role was to, “Oversee what was happening and gently guide staff to what we should be doing in response to the wishes of the resident and their family".

People said they felt the service was extremely responsive to their needs. People who used the service received highly personalised care from staff who knew their background, interests and hobbies. People were encouraged to pursue individual interests and establish new community links and friendships. The registered manager listened to people who used the service and about what they wanted in regards to activities. Staff had an excellent understanding of people's needs and were imaginative in the way they provided person centred care which put people at the heart of the service. They did this by empowering people to reconnect with past interests, making people feel valued and enabling them to “live life to the full” again.

There were a range of social activities taking place. The registered manager told us, “We are proud of our activities, we take time to find out people’s individual interests so we can support them to remain as active and interested as possible. The art group are making amazing progress.” People told us they had been consulted in regards past interests and employment. They told us where they had shared their past experiences they had been encouraged to explore and “Take up” previous interests.

One initiative had been to involve people in past interests such as painting. People were introduced to a local artist and encouraged to join an art workshop. People showed us their art work and told us of their love of art and how they had, “Loved being able to take up that interest again. “I did not think I would ever paint again, it has given me a new lease of life.”

The service has taken innovative steps to meet people’s information and communication needs over and above complying with the Accessible Information Standard, particularly in using technology to ensure records were accessible to people with different communication needs.

People’s communication needs were clearly assessed and detailed in their care plans. This captured the persons preferred methods of communication and how best to communicate with them. Staff told us how they communicated with one person in a way which was appropriate for them, and how they supported another to regain their love of reading by purchasing a projector for them. The person told us, “It has changed my life, and enabled me to pursue my greatest interest”.

There was a strong person centred culture to the service. Staff were compassionate, kind and caring and had developed good relationships with people using the service. People were comfortable in the presence of staff, and told us they were treated with dignity and respect. We received very positive comments from a range of people about the caring nature of the service. One person wrote to the local paper in regards their experience of ‘kindness and compassion from staff. Another told us, “I never thought I could be happy again. But I have found peace and happiness living here. It is like I have a lovely new family.”

Care plans were person centred and contained the relevant information staff needed to ensure people’s needs were met. Staff used their knowledge of people’s life histories to help them understand what was important to each and every person. There was a positive culture of ensuring that people maintained their independence. One person told us they had been “Very worried” they may not be able to remain living at the service due to changes in health, but felt the staff “Had gone the extra mile “to support them to stay there.

End of life discussions had taken place and people had advanced care plans in place. The registered manager and staff were committed to providing people who used the service with the best end of life care they could possibly give and provide support to families and friends at this time.

People were safe because there were systems and processes in place to protect them. Risk assessments were in place and these promoted people's safety such as walking around the service. Incidents such as falls, and medicine errors were used as an opportunity for learning and to help drive improvements. Staff were aware of how to keep people safe and able to explain how they would identify signs of possible abuse. Staff told us they were aware of their responsibilities to raise any safeguarding concerns.

Medicines were administered, recorded and stored in a safe manner and all staff who administered

medicines had received suitable training to do this.

Staff were subject to checks on their suitability before they were offered employment. Enough staff were employed to ensure that people's needs could be met in a timely manner. People and their relatives told us they felt there were enough staff to keep them safe.

People received an effective service and were supported by staff who had received appropriate training. 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.

Staff were aware of infection control measures and the service was clean and well maintained. There were numerous posters around reminding people, their visitors and staff of the importance of personal hygiene, such as hand washing.

The registered manager understood their responsibilities and worked with people who used the service, relatives, staff and the provider to improve the quality and safety of care that was provided. Quality assurance procedures and a programme of audits were in place. There was a strong emphasis on continuous improvement to drive up the quality of service provided at the home.