Background to this inspection
Updated
19 May 2017
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, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.
The inspection team consisted of an adult social care inspector.
Prior to our unannounced inspection on 14 February 2017, we reviewed the information we held about Chesterfield. This included notifications we had received from the provider. These related to incidents that affect the health, safety and welfare of people who lived at the home.
We were only able to discuss care with one person who lived at Chesterfield. We case tracked this individual by reviewing their care records and checking their experiences of living at the home. We also spent time observing staff interactions with people who lived at the home. Additionally, we spoke with one staff member and the registered manager. We did this to gain an overview of what people experienced whilst living at Chesterfield.
We looked around the building to check environmental safety and cleanliness. Furthermore, we looked at a range of records. These included documents in relation to two people who lived at the home and three staff files. We reviewed records about staff training and support, as well as those related to the management and safety of Chesterfield.
Updated
19 May 2017
The inspection visit at Chesterfield Lodge was undertaken on 14 February 2017 and was unannounced.
Chesterfield provides care and support for a maximum of six people who live with mental health conditions. At the time of our inspection there were five people living at the home. Chesterfield is situated in a residential area of Blackpool’s North Shore. It offers six single bedrooms over three floors. In addition, there is a dining room and communal lounge. A separate office and staff sleepover room is a recent addition to Chesterfield.
At the last comprehensive inspection on 11 November 2014, we rated the service as requires improvement. This was because breaches of legal requirements were found. The registered manager’s quality audits were overdue and poorly maintained. There was no evidence to show identified issues were managed to ensure there re-occurrence was minimised. Additionally, the registered manager failed to have suitable arrangements that sought feedback people who lived at Chesterfield. The registered manager had not always ensured people’s records were kept up-to-date and under review. We followed this up on 21 September 2015 and noted the service was meeting the regulations they were in breach of. However, we could not improve the rating from requires improvement because to do so requires consistent good practice over time.
During this inspection, we found the management team had sustained the improvements implemented to continue to meet the requirements of the regulations. People who lived at the home said they felt safe and well cared for. The management team had completed regular and up-to-date assessments to minimise the risks of harm or injury to people. Staff demonstrated a good awareness of safeguarding people from abuse and poor practice.
The provider followed their procedures when they recruited staff to ensure they were suitable to work with vulnerable adults. Staff and people who lived at Chesterfield said staffing levels were sufficient to meet their requirements. The registered manager provided a range of staff training to assist them in their roles. One staff member told us, “Training is really good and I’m glad it’s face-to-face so I can ask questions when I need to.”
The registered manager had systems to protect people from unsafe management of their medicines. We saw medication was stored in a clean and secure area of the home. We reviewed a sample of related records and saw there were no gaps and staff correctly recorded information.
People were supported to eat their meals when and where they chose. A range of systems monitored people against the risks of malnutrition.
The registered manager ensured staff had training about the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and associated Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards. One staff member told us, “The residents often come to us for advice. We support them with this and then help them to decide what they want to do.” People had signed their consent to support throughout their different care records.
We found people were encouraged to be involved in their care planning. Staff demonstrated a caring and respectful approach to those they supported They were respectful of people’s privacy and dignity during our inspection, such as knocking on doors before entering bedrooms.
Staff completed and regularly reviewed a variety of assessments to measure people’s support levels and their related care requirements. They checked each person’s backgrounds and preferences to gain a better understanding of who they were and what they needed.
Staff, people and visitors told us the home was organised and had good leadership. One staff member said, “I feel supported in my new role and [the registered manager] really helps me. Since he’s become manager all the homes have improved.” The management team completed regular audits to ensure ongoing oversight of safety and quality assurance. Feedback was positive about Chesterfield and people’s experiences of living there.