Broadwater Lodge

Updated 9 November 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 was carried out by three inspectors.

Service and service type

Broadwater Lodge 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

We reviewed the information we held about the service. This included the statutory notifications that had been submitted since the last inspection. Notifications are changes, events and incidents that the service must inform us about. We also used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection-

During the inspection we spoke individually with seven people about their experience of the care provided. We also joined people at lunchtime and in communal areas throughout the day and talked to them more generally about their life at Broadwater Lodge. We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us.

We met with five relatives/visitors of people who used the service who provided us with their views of the care their loved ones received. We also spoke with eight members of staff, including the registered manager.

We reviewed a range of records. This included five people’s care and medicine records. We also looked at the recruitment files for three staff and information relating to their training and supervision. The registered manager showed us documents relating to the management of the service. These included how feedback is gathered and acted upon and the audits in place to maintain the safety and quality of the care delivered.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at training data and quality assurance records. We also contacted the lead GP for the service to gain feedback about how managers and staff engage with other professionals.

Updated 9 November 2019

About the service

Broadwater Lodge is a care home which provides residential support to older people, many of whom are living with dementia. The service is registered to provide care for up to 67 people. At the time of our inspection there were 59 people living at Broadwater Lodge.

The service is arranged into five individual units, referred to as ‘suites’ throughout this report. Each suite has its own adapted facilities, including lounge and dining areas. People were however free to access all areas of the service, including the outside grounds which provided a small holding and was home to a variety of animals including ponies, pigs and rabbits.

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

Broadwater Lodge continued to provide excellent dementia care in its own unique and special way. People loved the quirky nature of the service which enabled them to be themselves and live their life, their way. The culture of the service was one of exceptional personalisation that involved people in all aspects of both their care and the running of the home.

The atmosphere within the service was once again vibrant and fun, with laughter echoing down the corridors. The stimulating environment had been further developed to include an award-winning farm yard where people enjoyed spending time outdoors petting a variety of animals. Activities were as varied as the people living at the service and no suggestion was ever considered too difficult to be achieved. People were supported to take active risks, with a widespread philosophy throughout the service that, “Life is for living.”

People were supported by an enthusiastic and lively team of staff who were exceptionally caring and compassionate in their approach. Staff had an excellent understanding of people’s needs and were responsive to people’s changing needs. Personalised care was automatic, because people were at the heart of everything.

Staff were well trained and supported and people felt safe in their hands. People received their medicines as prescribed and were supported to access external professionals to keep them healthy and comfortable. People enjoyed a wide range of nutritionally balanced meals and specialist diets and preferences were catered for.

The management team championed people’s rights and worked collaboratively with staff and external partners to constantly improve the service and develop Broadwater Lodge as a hub for the local community.

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 Outstanding (15 December 2016).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.