Updated 20 September 2019
The inspection
We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.
Inspection team
The inspection team consisted of one inspector and an Expert by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.
Service and service type
Milton Lodge Rest Home 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.
The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.
Notice of inspection
This inspection was unannounced.
What we did before the inspection
Before our inspection we completed our planning tool and reviewed the information we held on the service. This included notifications we had received from the provider, about incidents that affect the health, safety and welfare of people supported by the service.
We checked to see if any information concerning the care and welfare of people supported by the service had been received. We also sought feedback from professionals who work with the service and Healthwatch Lancashire. Healthwatch Lancashire is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England. This helped us to gain a balanced overview of what people experienced using the service.
As part of the inspection we used information the provider sent us in the Provider Information Returns. This is information we require providers to send us at least once annually to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.
We used all this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
During the inspection we spoke with eight people who used the service and three relatives about their experience of the care provided. We also spoke with seven staff members including the provider, five care staff and the cook.
We did not use the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI) during our visit. SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us. This was because people who lived at the home were able to speak with us and tell us about their experiences living at the home.
We looked at care records of three people and spoke with staff about their recruitment, training and support they received from management. We also looked at arrangements for meal provision and records relating to the management of the home, and procedures for the administration of medicines We reviewed the services staffing levels and walked around the building to ensure it was clean, hygienic and a safe place for people to live.