We carried out a review of the data available to us about Stewart Lodge Care Home on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about Stewart Lodge Care Home, you can give feedback on this service.
Stewart Lodge Care Home is a residential care home providing personal care to up to 3 people in one adapted building. The service provides support to people with mental health needs. At the time of our inspection there were 3 people using the service.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People were safe at the service. Staff understood how to safeguard people from abuse and keep them safe from identified risks to their safety and wellbeing. There were enough staff to support people and meet their needs. The provider carried out recruitment and criminal records checks to make sure staff were suitable to support people. The provider made sure health and safety checks were carried out of the premises and equipment to make sure they were safe. The premises was clean and hygienic. Staff followed infection control and hygiene practice to reduce the risk of infections.
People were involved in planning and making decisions about their care and support and could state their preferences for how this was provided. Staff were provided with relevant training to help them meet people’s care and support needs. Staff knew people well and understood how their needs should be met in line with their preferences. The provider checked with people at regular intervals that the care and support they received was continuing to meet their needs and sought their views about how the service could be continuously improved.
People were treated well at the service. People’s feedback indicated staff delivered good quality support. Staff were supported through supervision to continuously learn and improve in their role. Staff enjoyed their work and supporting people using the service. They were encouraged to put people’s needs and wishes at the heart of everything they did.
Staff supported people in a dignified way which maintained people’s privacy and independence. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.
Staff supported people to manage their healthcare and medical conditions and made sure people could access support from healthcare professionals when needed. Staff encouraged people to eat and drink enough to meet their needs. People were supported to take their prescribed medicines in a timely and appropriate way. Medicines were managed safely.
People undertook activities that reflected their interests and preferences. Relatives and friends were free to visit people without any unnecessary restrictions. The service had been designed and decorated to meet people’s needs and people had a choice of comfortable spaces to spend time in.
The registered manager was experienced and had a clear understanding of how people’s needs should be met. They undertook audits and checks to monitor, review and improve the quality and safety of the service. There were systems in place to investigate accidents, incidents and complaints and people to be involved and informed of the outcome. The provider worked proactively with healthcare professionals involved in people’s care and acted on their recommendations to deliver care and support that met people’s needs.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection and update
The last rating for this service was Good (published 25 June 2019).
Why we inspected
This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.
We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.
Stewart Lodge Care Home is a residential care home that accommodates up to three people in one adapted building. The service specialises in supporting people with mental health needs. There were three people using the service at the time of this inspection.
People’s experience of using this service:
People said they were safe at the service. Staff had been trained to safeguard people from abuse and knew how to manage and minimise identified risks to people’s safety. They followed good practice when providing personal care and when preparing and handling food which reduced hygiene risks.
People had a choice of comfortable spaces to spend time in when at home. The provider carried out health and safety checks of the premises and equipment to make sure they were safe. The premises was tidy, but some parts would have benefited from more thorough cleaning. The provider took action following this inspection to arrange for a deep clean of the specific areas identified during this inspection.
There were enough staff to support people. The provider made sure staff were suitable and fit to support people. Staff were provided relevant training to help them meet people’s needs. The provider made sure staff were clear about their duties and responsibilities and encouraged them to continuously improve their working practices to help people achieve positive outcomes.
People were involved in planning their care and support. People received the care and support agreed with them from staff who were kind and caring. Staff knew people well and understood how their needs should be met. They made sure people were supported to undertake activities and pursue interests that were important to them. Staff were respectful and supported people in a dignified way which maintained their privacy and independence. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.
People were supported to stay healthy and well. Staff helped people eat and drink enough to meet their needs and to take their prescribed medicines. We found a minor issue with the way medicines records were maintained which meant it was not always clear if a person had received their medicine or not. The registered manager rectified this issue immediately during the inspection. When people became unwell, staff sought assistance from their GP promptly. Recommendations from healthcare professionals were acted on so that people received the relevant care and support they needed in relation to their healthcare needs.
People were satisfied with the quality of care and support they received. People knew how to make a complaint if needed. The provider had arrangements in place to make sure any accidents, incidents and complaints were fully investigated which included keeping people involved and informed of the outcome.
The registered manager encouraged people and staff to have their say about how the service could improve. They used this feedback along with other checks, to monitor, review and improve the quality and safety of the support provided. The provider worked proactively with other agencies and acted on recommendations to improve the quality and safety of the service for people.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk.
Rating at last inspection:
At the last inspection the service was rated ‘Good’ (10/12/2016). The service continues to meet the characteristics of a ‘Good’ service.
Why we inspected:
This inspection was planned based on the previous rating of ‘Good’.
Follow up:
We will continue to monitor the service to ensure that people receive safe, compassionate, high quality care. Further inspections will be planned in line with our inspection schedule or in response to concerns.
This inspection took place on 21 November 2016 and was unannounced. At our previous inspection in November 2013, we found the provider needed to make improvements with regard to ensuring that there was sufficient evidence of staff training and supervision. The provider was also asked to make improvements with regard to ensuring records were always available and up to date. During our inspection of 21 November 2017 we found that the provider has made the necessary improvements in these areas and that they now met the regulations we inspected.
The service had a registered manager who was also the sole director of the company which owns the service. 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 supported by adequate numbers of staff who had been safely recruited. The staff were supported by the registered manager who provided supervision and leadership as well as opportunities for training to help staff meet people's needs and carry out their role.
Records required to be kept by the registered provider relating to staff and the management of the service were readily available and consistently maintained.
People using this service experienced responsive care and support that was person centred and appropriate to their needs. People expressed their views and were involved in making decisions about their care and treatment. Individuals had personalised care plans that were regularly reviewed to make sure they got the right care and support. Risk assessments aimed to keep people safe whilst supporting them to maintain and develop their independence as far as possible.
Staff made sure people’s dignity was upheld and their rights protected. Staff understood their responsibilities where people lacked capacity to consent or make decisions. This was because they had received training in safeguarding people and on the principles of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005 and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). Appropriate DoLS applications had been made where required.
People took part in activities that interested them and were supported to maintain relationships with family and friends who were important to them. Individuals were encouraged to build and develop their independent living skills both in and outside the service.
People told us they received ongoing advice and treatment from health and social care professionals to ensure that they stayed as well as possible. They had access to other services when they needed them. Any advice from external professionals was included in their care and acted on accordingly. People were supported to keep healthy and their nutritional needs and preferences were met. The provider had appropriate arrangements in place to manage medicines.
Auditing systems were used effectively to keep checks on standards, develop the service and make improvements. People and others involved with the service had opportunities to share their views and the provider listened to their feedback.
Stewart Lodge Care Home is a small care home that provides accommodation and personal care for up to three people. The home specialises in looking after adults with mental health needs. There were three people using the service at the time of our inspection.
This inspection took place on 12 and 17 November 2015 and was unannounced. At our previous inspection in October 2013, we found the provider was meeting the regulations we inspected.
The service had a manager who was in the process of applying to register. They told us that the previous registered manager had left over six months ago although we had not been notified of this in a timely manner. 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 supported by adequate numbers of staff who had been safely recruited. However, they were not supported by a suitably trained or supervised staff team which could lead to people's needs being unmet. There were insufficient arrangements to ensure that staff were appropriately trained and supervised to meet people's needs and carry out their role.
Records required to be kept by the registered provider relating to staff and the management of the service were not readily available or consistently maintained.
People using this service experienced responsive care and support that was person centred and appropriate to their needs. People expressed their views and were involved in making decisions about their care and treatment. Individuals had personalised care plans that were regularly reviewed to make sure they got the right care and support. Risk assessments aimed to keep people safe whilst supporting them to maintain and develop their independence as far as possible.
Staff made sure people’s dignity was upheld and their rights protected. Staff understood their responsibilities where people lacked capacity to consent or make decisions. This was because they had received training on the principles of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005 and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). Appropriate DoLS applications had been made where required.
People took part in activities that interested them and were supported to maintain relationships with family and friends who were important to them. Individuals were encouraged to build and develop their independent living skills both in and outside the service.
People told us they received ongoing advice and treatment from health and social care professionals to ensure that they stayed as well as possible. They had access to other services when they needed them. Any advice from external professionals was included in their care and acted on accordingly. People were supported to keep healthy and their nutritional needs and preferences were met. The provider had appropriate arrangements in place to manage medicines.
Auditing systems were used effectively to keep checks on standards, develop the service and make improvements. People and others involved with the service had opportunities to share their views and the provider listened to their feedback.
We found two breaches of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 in relation to staff training and supervision and the availability of records. You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of this report.
We spoke with all of the people using the service during our inspection. People were positive about the care and support they received. One person said, 'The staff are lovely.' And 'I would definitely say something if I wasn't happy.' Another told us, 'It's nice here. They take me out and I go to college. I'm happy here.'
We saw from people's individual records, people had been involved in planning and developing their care plans. People had been able to sign their agreement to the care and support planned for them. Each person had a current care plan which set out their care and support needs. Detailed instructions were documented for staff about how these needs should be met. Staff were also given guidance about how to encourage and support people to be independent, participate in activities and maintain regular contact with friends and family. We saw known risks to people's health, safety and welfare had been identified and plans were in place to manage these.
From the records we looked at these had been reviewed and updated so that staff had up to date information about people's current care and support needs. There were enough staff to meet these needs. Medical records we looked at showed medicines were administered appropriately and stored safely in the home.
We looked at the records of people using the service and saw people had up to date care plans which identified their specific care and support needs. There was detailed information for staff about how these needs were to be met.
Staff received training to keep their skills and knowledge up to date. They told us they worked in a supportive environment.
The provider carried out checks within the home to make sure that risks to people's health, safety and welfare were identified, managed and mitigated.