Westwood Lodge Care Home

Updated 4 September 2025

Date of assessment: 22 October to 20 November 2025.

Westwood Lodge is a care home providing accommodation, personal and nursing care to a maximum of 44 younger and older people, including people who may live with dementia or mental health needs. At the time of our unannounced visit, 42 people were using the service.

The inspection took place to assess if improvements had been made since the last inspection. Breaches in regulation had been previously identified in relation to safe care and treatment, person-centred care, premises and equipment and governance.

Since the last inspection a registered manager was in place. The registered manager is registered with the Commission and is legally responsible to ensure that the service is compliant with legal and regulatory requirements. The registered manager, supported by the management team, was making improvements to the service.

At this inspection we found improvements had been made. However further improvements were still required to the management of medicines, infection control, people’s dining experience, care records, person-centred care and governance.

People received safe care, however due to improvements needed to medicine management, records and governance there was 1 breach of legal regulation in relation to records and governance.

The governance system required improvement as audits had not always identified where improvements were needed to care provision, as identified at inspection, to ensure the improvements were made in an effective and timely way.

More effective systems were now in place to protect people from abuse. Staff assessed and mitigated most risks. Improvements had been made to staff recruitment to ensure suitable staff were employed.

Some improvements had been made to medicine management, but further improvements were required to medicine records. Improvements were being made to care records, however further improvements were needed to help ensure people received person-centred care.

Staffing levels were sufficient, staff felt safe and supported, and improvements had been made under the manager's leadership to keep people safe, including safeguarding processes, appropriate deprivation of liberty safeguards, and systems for accident and incident analysis with lessons learned cascaded to staff.

Staff received appropriate training and worked with other professionals to ensure people’s needs were met in a safe and timely way. Staff treated people with kindness and compassion. However, we discussed with the registered manager the improvements that were needed with how staff engaged with people.

The staff team knew people well and provided support discreetly and with compassion. People’s privacy was respected, and people were supported to maintain contact with relatives and friends.

The environment was becoming better maintained to keep people safe, however areas of the home were still showing signs of wear and tear. Some improvements were still needed to infection prevention and control; this was being addressed as part of the refurbishment programme.

We also signposted the provider to ensure that information was available in an accessible format to keep people informed and involved in decision making.

We have asked the provider for an action plan in response to the concerns found at this inspection.

Updated 4 September 2025

People told us they were safe. A person commented, “I am safe here, I have company, the carers are really good, they are friends. I trust them.” People and professionals told us how kind, caring and supportive the staff were.Most people said they were happy living at the service. Their comments included, “The care staff are all lovely, kind and patient. They do their best for us and try hard”, “It is a good place, with good staff” and “Staff are kind and patient. They sit and talk with us.” People received a varied diet, and changes had been made to menus as a result of people’s feedback. However, we received mixed feedback about the variety and quantity of food. People’s comments included,” There is plenty of food and drink, I am not a big eater”, “For supper I sometimes have a crumpet, toast or a bowl of cereal just cornflakes”, “We are getting more vegetables now” and “Food runs out on the trolley, especially if you eat in the lounge, they serve the dining room first.” People’s health care and treatment needs were met, with the involvement of appropriate professionals where needed. A person commented, “The GP visits and you can just ask for a dentist or optician appointment.” A staff member told us, “We are involved with GP visits and the weekly multi-disciplinary meeting on Thursday, the pharmacist also attends.” People were supported to maintain their independence and positive risk taking was promoted. Improvements were needed so people had access to activities and entertainment to support their health and well-being. People’s comments included, “There is nothing to do, I am lucky I take myself out. I would like some trips, we had a trip two summers ago. We went to Beamish Museum, it was really good.” People were supported to make choices and were involved in decision making about their care and support. A person told us, “I am involved in meetings and make all my own choices.”