Evergreen Lodge

Evergreen Lodge is a residential care home providing accommodation and personal care. The home accommodates up to 12 people in one house. At the time of our inspection 10 people with mental health conditions were living at the home.

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

The provider supported people with their medicines safely. Risks to people, including those relating to their mental health conditions, were well managed. The provider carried out recruitment checks on staff to ensure they were suitable to work with people. There were enough staff to support people safely. Staff followed suitable infection control practices and received training to understand their responsibilities.

Staff received a suitable induction with ongoing training and support to care for people with mental health conditions. People received their choice of food, were supported to maintain their health and their needs were assessed and monitored. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People were positive about the staff who supported them and developed good relationships with them. Staff knew people well and treated people with dignity and respect. People were involved people in their care. People’s care plans were based on their need and preferences and people received personalised care. People had enough activities they were interested in to occupy themselves. The provider had a suitable process to respond to any concerns or complaints.

A registered manager was in post who understood their role and responsibilities, as did staff. A clear hierarchy was in place and staff felt well supported by the management team. People, visitors and staff told us the service was well-led and the provider engaged well with them, and our findings were in agreement. The provider had sufficient oversight of the service and carried out a range of checks to ensure standards remained high.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was good (report published June 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the rating at the last inspection.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received, we may inspect sooner.

This inspection took place on 26 April and 10 May 2017. The first day of inspection was unannounced and the visit was carried out by one inspector. At our last inspection in June 2015, the service was rated Good.

At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

People using the service felt safe and spoke positively about the support provided to them. They said staff treated them with respect. 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.

Medicines were stored, administered, recorded and disposed of safely. Staff were trained in the safe administration of medicines and kept records that were accurate.

There were enough staff on each shift to support people safely. Assessments were in place that reflected current risks for people at the service and ways to try and reduce these. Support plans were regularly reviewed and updated to ensure the care provided met people’s changing needs.

People felt able to raise any issues or concerns and these were dealt with promptly and satisfactorily. There were clear procedures in place to recognise and respond to abuse and staff had been trained in how to follow these.

There was a registered manager in post however they were working their notice at the time of our inspection. Suitable arrangements had been put in place to manage the service whilst a new permanent manager was recruited and registered with CQC. 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

Further information is in the detailed findings below