All inspections: St Helens Hall and Lodge

We inspected this service on the 4 November 2014. The visit was unannounced and this meant that the provider did not know that we were coming. A further announced visit was made to the service on 6 November 2014.

St Helens Hall and Lodge provides residential care for older people with mental health care needs. The home has 2 units, The Lodge which can accommodate 56 people on 2 floors and the Hall which can accommodate 38 people on 2 floors.

During our previous inspection of the home in October 2013 we found that the service was meeting the regulations we assessed.

The registered manager had been in post since January 2012 and registered with the Care Quality Commission from June 2012. 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.

People told us that they felt safe living at the home. Staff knew how to keep people safe from abuse and were aware of when and how to report any concerns they may have in relation to safeguarding people from harm. However, we found that people were not always safe because

the management of medicines required improvement.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is required by law to monitor the operation of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005 Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) and to report on what we find. Policies and procedures were in place to promote people’s rights and the provider’s responsibilities in relation to the MCA.

We looked at care planning records and found that detailed information was available for the staff team as how they were to offer care and support. Staff demonstrated a good awareness of the needs and wishes of the people they supported. We saw staff supporting people in a manner that respected their privacy and maintained their dignity

There interior of the building was created to offer a stimulating environment for people living with dementia. The design of the building gave people the opportunity to access a number of communal areas.

Staff told us that they felt supported in their role and were confident in what they did. We saw that staff had the opportunity to attend training for their role on a regular basis.

Quality assurance systems were in place to monitor the service provided to people. This showed that the provider carried out regular checks on the quality and management at the home to help them understand and improve the service that people received.

St Helens Hall and Lodge is part of the Orchard Care Homes organisation and provides care for 94 people at the home.

The care being delivered at the home was person centred because people living there were involved in their care decisions where appropriate and staff respected the person and their dignity. Reasonable processes were in place to ensure people were protected from harm and risk.

We spoke with people who lived at the home and their relatives. We asked them to share with us their views and experience of care support they received. One relative told us 'The care is brilliant; health care professionals linked in with the staff at the home and they manage all aspects of care well.'

We spoke with two people who lived at the home and they told us that staff looked after them well and showed them dignity and respect at all times.

The home had effective infection control and prevention policies and procedures in place. There was a range of cleaning rotas and audits in place for the domestic and kitchen staff to complete.

We reviewed the organisations recruitment and selection policies and procedures. We saw that the organisation had an effective process in place to ensure staff were of good character and had the right level of qualifications for the vacancy.

We spoke with staff who told us they felt well supported by the management and their peers. They (the staff) said they worked well as a team and enjoyed their job.

During our inspection we spent time with people who lived at the home and their relatives, we invited them to share with us their views and experience of the care they received. One person who lived at the home said 'I like living here, the meals are good and we have a choice'.

Throughout our visit we observed staff being attentive to the needs of the people in the home and their tone and manner was respectful and caring showing dignity and respecting privacy as they delivered the care.

Staff told us they had a handover system in place. There were daily handover sheets, a communication book and daily recording sheets. These were all used to provide updates of each person during each shift.

There were several lounge areas through both the Hall and the Lodge on each of the floors. On the day of our inspection we observed when we arrived in the morning people being assisted by care staff, the interaction was caring and met the needs of the people who lived at the home.

In the dinning area there was a blackboard with the options for the meals; the week's meal plan was also displayed on the notice board on each floor.

The home also had a hairdressing salon room where the people could visit the hairdresser on a regular basis.

People who used the service and family members spoken with told us they were happy with the service provided and felt they were listened to by the management and staff team. They told us the staff team supported them well and doctors and other healthcare professionals were called when they felt unwell.

We spoke with relatives who provided the following comments,

'My mum is very happy here and the staff look after her well.'

'They are very good at letting me know if mum is not very well.'

'They look after her very well I have no complaints.'

We spoke with people who used the service who provided the following comments,

'If I was worried about anything I would talk to my daughter and she would speak to the girls.'

'I am happy here the staff are kind and help me when I need them.'

Overall we observed care workers supporting people with their personal care needs in a respectful and sensitive manner. People appeared to be comfortable and relaxed with the care workers supporting them in their daily lives.

We observed a person who used the service becoming very agitated about a personal item they had not been given back. We observed two care workers trying to offer reassurance but without acknowledging their sense of anger. This caused the person to become more agitated. A third care worker approached the person and acknowledged their feelings and offered a solution with timescale to when the item would be returned. The person calmed and was satisfied with the response.

These older reports are from our old approaches to inspection, including those from before CQC was created.

Archived: St Helens Hall and Lodge

All Inspections

4 & 6 November 2014

During a routine inspection

23 October 2013

During a routine inspection

23 October 2012

During a routine inspection

27 October 2011

During a routine inspection

Reports under our old system of regulation