Archived: Spinnaker Lodge Limited

Updated 13 July 2018

We carried out this comprehensive 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.

This inspection was unannounced and took place on 30 May and 4 June 2018 and was completed by one inspector.

The home was last inspected in March 2017 when it was rated as 'Requires Improvement' overall with a breach of Regulation 20A of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. The provider had failed to display the CQC ratings in the home.

Before the inspection, the provider completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and any improvements they plan to make. We reviewed information we held about the service, including previous inspection reports and notifications of significant events the provider sent to us. Notifications are information about specific important events the service is legally required to send to us.

During the inspection we spoke with five people who used the service and two family members. We also reviewed written feedback that the service had received from four family members.

We observed care and support being delivered in communal areas of the home. 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 spoke with the provider who was also the registered manager for the service, two staff members, the domestic support worker and the administrator.

We looked at care plans and associated records for six people and records relating to the management of the service. These included staff duty records, three staff recruitment files, records of complaints, accidents and incidents and quality assurance records.

Updated 13 July 2018

Spinnaker Lodge is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection. The home is registered to provide accommodation for up to nine people. There were eight people living at the home at the time of the inspection.

Accommodation is arranged over two floors with stair lift access to the second floor and there were two communal areas available for people to socialise.

The inspection was conducted on 30 May and 4 June 2018 and was unannounced. At the time of the inspection there was a registered manager in post who was also the provider. Throughout this report we will refer to them as the ‘Provider’.

At our last inspection in March 2017, we gave the service an overall rating of ‘Requires improvement’ and identified a breach of regulation 20A of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. The provider had failed to display the CQC ratings in the home. The provider wrote to us, detailing the action they would take to address the concerns. At this inspection we found that ratings were displayed appropriately and therefore were no longer in breach of this regulation.

However, at this inspection additional concerns were noted. For example, safe and effective recruitment processes were not always followed. Staff employment histories and appropriate references were not always being obtained. This meant that the provider could not be assured that the staff they employed were of suitable character to work with the people they supported. Additionally, although oral medicines were managed safety, we found that where people were prescribed topical creams these were not always managed safety.

Environmental and individual risks to people were managed effectively. There was a process in place to monitor accidents and incidents that occurred in the home to identify any patterns or trends and mitigate risks.

People were protected from the risk of abuse and staff knew how to identify, prevent and report abuse. Staff understood how to keep people safe in an emergency.

There were enough staff to keep people safe and meet their needs in a relaxed and unhurried way.

People’s needs were met by staff who were competent, trained and supported appropriately in their role. Staff followed the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and sought verbal consent from people before providing care.

People were supported to have enough to eat and drink and had access to health professionals and other specialists if they needed them. Staff worked in partnership with healthcare professionals to support people at the end of their lives to have a comfortable, dignified and pain-free death.

Staff showed care, compassion and respect to people who spoke positively about the attitude and approach of staff. There was a relaxed and calm atmosphere within the home. People were cared for with dignity and respect and their privacy was respected.

People were encouraged to be independent and the staff supported people to meet their cultural and spiritual needs.

The service was responsive to people’s needs. Staff demonstrated that they knew people well, understood their needs and had knowledge of their likes and dislikes. There was a person centred, individualised approach to care.

People told us they were provided with appropriate mental and physical stimulation that met their needs and wishes. People were listened to by staff and their views and wishes were respected. People were encouraged to make decisions about their care.

People and their relatives felt the service was run well. Staff were organised, motivated and worked well as a team. There was a clear management structure in place and the provider had access to appropriate support.

People described an open and transparent culture within the home, where they had ready access to the management and visitors were welcomed at any time.