Wellington Lodge

Updated 15 May 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 COVID-19 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 31 March 2021 and was announced.

Updated 15 May 2021

The inspection took place on 28 September 2018 and was unannounced. The last inspection of this service was on 1 March 2016 and we found the service to be good in all areas. The service is run by Anchor Trust.

Wellington Lodge is a care home located in the Cheetham Hill area of Manchester. People in care homes receive accommodation and personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection. The home is registered to provide accommodation and support for up to 33 people some of whom are living with dementia. On the day of inspection, 32 people were living at the home.

The service is divided into two floors, the ground and the first floor. There is access to each floor via a passenger lift and two stairwells.

At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the overall rating of good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. At this inspection we found the service remained good overall.

The service had a registered manager in place. A registered manager is a person who has registered with CQC to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are 'registered persons'. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run. The registered manager was supported by a deputy manager, both managers assisted with the inspection.

People felt safe living at Wellington Lodge and were aware of how to raise any concerns they had. Staff members were aware of their responsibilities in relation to protecting vulnerable adults from abuse and were confident the registered or deputy manager would act on any concerns they had. All staff had received safeguarding training.

Staff members were recruited safely and received a robust induction to introduce them to their role.

Premises safety was well managed. Regular external checks took place of equipment such as the firefighting systems, the passenger lift, moving and handling equipment and electrical and gas safety. Internal checks on premises safety were completed weekly or monthly and clearly documented.

People had appropriate risk assessments in place to support them. Risk assessments were reviewed regularly or when needs changed.

Accidents and incidents were fully documented and lessons learned were shared to prevent future occurrences.

Medicines were safely managed. Audits were in place to monitor the safe receipt, storage, administration and documentation of medicines. Staff received training to enable them to administer medicines safely.

Staff received training suitable for their job role. The provider supported staff to complete diplomas in health and social care to expand their knowledge. We saw all staff received an induction and were given the opportunity to shadow more experienced members of staff.

The service was working in line with the Mental Capacity Act 2005. People received appropriate capacity assessments and decisions were made in people’s best interests. People were only deprived of their liberty where applications had been made to do so.

People were supported to eat a healthy and nutritious diet. People were very complimentary of the food and meal times were a sociable event.

People received input from primary care services such as a GP or dentist. People told us they could see a GP when they felt unwell and the home had regular weekly visits from the district nurses and a practitioner who assisted in monitoring people’s weights and skin integrity.

We observed caring and dignified interactions between staff members and people living at the home. People told us they felt cared for and staff always ensured their privacy and dignity.

Care plans captured people’s support needs and were person centred. People told us they had been able to contribute to their care plan and we saw people’s choices, likes and dislikes were clearly recorded. Care plans were regularly reviewed to ensure they were current.

Activities were varied and clearly enjoyed by everyone. We observed staff actively engaging people in activities and the homes Twitter page highlighted some of the work the service provides in relation to activities.

People were supported to remain at the home at the end of their life. The service had developed memory books to allow people, staff and visitors to record their favourite memories of people.

The provider had developed audits and tools to monitor the service. Audits worked to highlight areas for improvements and action plans were then developed to ensure the improvements were made in a timely manner.

People and staff members told us they felt well supported by the registered and deputy manager. We observed both managers to be visible across the home throughout the inspection and offering support to people, staff and relatives. The registered manager felt well supported by the district manager.