Archived: Broomhill Lodge

Broomhill Lodge provides personal care and accommodation for up to eight adults with a learning disability. At the time of our visit, seven people were using the service.

There was a registered manager in place. 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 protected against the risks of abuse as staff were clear of their responsibilities to protect people from harm. Staffing levels were sufficient to meet people’s needs and recruitment processes were safe.

People received food and drink according to their needs and were also supported with medicines administration by staff who had been trained to do so. They had access to health and social care professionals when required.

People received care and support which were responsive to their needs. Individual risks to people had been assessed and recorded in their care plans to keep them safe. People were supported to take part in a wide variety of social activities and to keep in touch with their relatives.

Staff were knowledgeable about people they supported. People had good relationships with staff and were encouraged to make informed decisions about their care and support. We observed positive interactions between people and staff.

Staff received training, supervision and support to give them the necessary skills and knowledge to help them meet the needs of people who used the service.

People and their relatives felt the service was well run and they could discuss the any issues with the registered manager. There were effective systems in place to seek the views of people, relatives, staff and other professional about the running of the service. People and relatives had no complaints about the service but knew who to speak to if they were unhappy.

Is the service safe?

Is the service effective?

Is the service caring?

Is the service responsive?

Is the service well-led?

This is a summary of what we found-

Is the service safe?

The service had suitable arrangements in place to protect people against the risks associated with the unsafe management of medicines, which included the obtaining, recording, administering, safe keeping and disposal of medication.

People who used the service were protected from the risk of abuse because the provider had taken steps to identify the possibility of abuse and prevent abuse from happening.

Is the service effective?

We looked at a sample of care plans and we could see the process that was in place to make sure everyone was supported in line with their preferences. Any problems and ways that these would be managed were identified and regular reviews made sure that changes were monitored and addressed.

Is the service caring?

People had their dignity and privacy respected. There were processes in place to ensure that people who used the service were able to contribute to discussions about how they preferred to be cared for and supported. Where they were unable to participate in this process they were represented by others who made decisions in their best interests.

Is the service responsive?

There was an effective complaints system available. Comments and complaints people made were responded to appropriately.

Is the service well-led?

People who used this service were able to make choices with regard to their daily lives such as what they would like to wear or to eat or whether they would like to join in any activities. Staff helped them in the way that they preferred and they had their wishes, privacy, dignity and independence respected. The staff interactions we observed were positive.

At this inspection visit we found there were now sufficient staff allocated to the afternoon/evening shift in order to safely meet the needs of people using the service.

People and/ or their representatives, were provided with appropriate information in order to make informed decisions about their care. People's needs were fully assessed and they were provided with suitable care and support to meet their identified needs. Risk assessments were in place for agreed areas of risk, which meant that people were supported safely.

People told us they felt safe and there were systems in place to protect people from the risk of abuse.

There were sufficient staff to support people to access facilities in the community, although we observed that the staff were very busy during part of the inspection visit.

People using the service and their representatives were provided with guidance about how to make complaints.

We found that medications were stored securely and staff were aware of procedures for administering medications. Communal areas of the home were accessible to people, and steps had been taken to ensure the environment was safe. People told us they liked the physical environment, one person said 'I like my room.' We found that systems were in place for monitoring and assessing the quality of care at the service.