All inspections: Loxley Lodge Care Home

This inspection took place on 16 and 17 July 2015 and was unannounced. There were no breaches of legal requirements at our last inspection in 2013.

Loxley Lodge Care Home provides accommodation and personal care to up to 42 older people, some of whom have needs related to dementia. There were 34 people receiving a service when we visited.

The registered manager was present throughout this inspection. 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 were safely cared for by enough staff who knew what action to take to keep everyone safe. The provider used safe systems when new staff were recruited and all risks to safety were minimised. Medicines storage arrangements were being improved and medicines were well managed to make sure people received them safely as prescribed.

Staff received regular training and additional information about how to meet people’s individual needs.

People had sufficient food and drink and staff encouraged and supported them individually, if needed. People’s health needs were met by GPs, community nurses and any additional healthcare support, which was promptly arranged when needed.

Staff were kind to people and cared about them. Choices were given to people at all times. People’s privacy and dignity were respected and detailed personal information was held securely.

The service responded well to people’s individual needs, interests and preferences and also to any concerns or complaints raised. Feedback from people was welcomed and encouraged.

A representative of the provider company visited regularly and actively monitored the quality of the service.

We visited the service on this occasion in response to concerns we had received about the quality of food, suitability of staff and the number of staff available to meet people's needs. We considered all the information we received since our previous inspection visit on 9 September 2013 and, during our visit, we spoke with people who told us they had no concerns.

One person told us, “I have no trouble with the food, it is always something nice.” Another person said “I enjoy the food, we have plenty of choice”. The food we saw at lunch time was of good quality. A regular visiting relative told us, "It's always good food here. I've never had to complain about it and never heard anyone else complain."

We looked at the records of checks carried out on all staff and we found the information available was sufficient to establish there were no current concerns about the staff employed at the service. This meant that people were protected and cared for by suitable staff.

We observed that people's needs were being met by a sufficient number of staff. Two people that used the service told us there were always staff there to assist them when needed. Two regular visitors told us there were always at least two staff on the ground floor and often three in the room.

We used a number of different methods to help us understand the experiences of people using the service, because some of the people using the service had complex needs which meant they were not all able to tell us their experiences. We looked at records, spoke with some people and observed the care of others. We also spoke with a relative and a visiting professional, as well as the manager and staff.

We saw that staff were talking to people all the time and following their wishes. One person told us, "They are all very polite here and they ask us about things all the time so we can choose."

Care was planned so that people's care needs were met safely and there was an emphasis on meeting the individual needs of people with dementia on the upper floor, where various items had been used to create a stimulating atmosphere.

We found that all areas used by people were clean. Regular visitors to the home told us the premises were always kept very clean and we found there were effective systems in place to reduce the risk and spread of infection.

New staff were recruited safely and people were cared for by suitably qualified, skilled and experienced staff.

People told us they knew they could raise concerns and complaints with the manager if needed and full information was avilable about how to do this.

There were staff with varying levels of experience, but a senior care worker was always present in the home. People told us the staff were helpful and kind and we saw staff speaking with people individually with respect. One person told us, "You only have to ask and they help straight away."

A new permanent manager had improved systems to ensure the efficient running and monitoring of the service. There was clear information for people who used the service and their visitors about the service provided and the complaints procedure. We saw that the manager was quick to respond to any concerns and monitored the care staff were giving.

We used observation as well as talking to people to help us understand the experiences of people using the service, because the many of the people using the service had complex needs which meant they were not able to tell us their experiences.

One person told us, "I like being here. They always talk to me about everything. I'm staying for the rest of my life."

Another comment was "They know how to help me and they're always smiling." One person said "Nothing is perfect, but they try to help everyone here."

We observed lunch being served in both lounge/dining rooms and we saw that some people needed and received appropriate assistance to eat from the care staff. One person told us, "I like my dinners here. They give me just the right amount."

People told us that they had no concerns and they felt the staff kept them safe.

We observed that there were at least two staff to care for people on each floor and people told us they usually did not have to wait long for assistance, but one said, "Sometimes the staff are very busy and I have to wait then".

On the day of our site visit to Loxley Lodge there were 35 people living at the care home.

We spoke with three people who live at the care home. Communication was not easy as all three people had some level of confusion, however we asked if people liked living at Loxley Lodge and we were told: 'Yes, it's very nice.' 'Yes, thank you,' and 'I am very happy here.'

We were also told that the care they were receiving was very good: 'The staff are very good, very kind.' 'I have no complaints; the staff do their best to look after me.' 'I am alright thank you.'

We spoke with three people about their experiences of living at Loxley Lodge. We asked each person if they felt safe, and they all said that they did. None of the people we spoke with were able to tell us about the policies that the home had for keeping them safe, or give any insight into staff training in safeguarding procedures.

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

Archived: Loxley Lodge Care Home

All Inspections

16 July 2015

During a routine inspection

28 October 2013

During an inspection in response to concerns

9 September 2013

During a routine inspection

7 January 2013

During an inspection looking at part of the service

21 May 2012

During a routine inspection

14 November 2011

During an inspection in response to concerns

Reports under our old system of regulation