Kings Lodge

Ratings

• Overall

  Good

• Safe

  Good

• Effective

  Good

• Caring

  Good

• Responsive

  Good

• Well-led

  Good

Our view of the service

Date of assessment 8 January to 28 January 2025. We visited the service on 8 January 2025. Kings Lodge is a nursing home providing accommodation for persons who require nursing or personal care. It is registered for 78 people. At the time of our assessment there were 73 people using the service. This was a responsive assessment due to safeguarding concerns we received. We found a breach of legal regulations in relation to medicines. During this assessment, we found that the management of people's medicines was not always safe, and in line with the provider's own policies and procedures. Processes to help ensure that risks to people were assessed and mitigated were not always effective and there had been a high number of incidents including unwitnessed falls. Although staffing levels were overall adequate to meet people’s needs, on the day of our visit, staff in one of the units seemed rushed. Most relatives thought there were not always enough staff on duty. There were good systems to protect people from the risk of infection and cross contamination and staff followed good practice. There were systems in place for the safe recruitment of staff. Overall, people were cared for by staff who were kind and caring and knew them well. The home was clean, fresh and well-maintained. The home was developed to meet the needs of the people who used the service, including those living with dementia. There was a range of activities available for people and these were person-centred. People and their relatives were involved in their pre-admission assessment, care planning and the management of individual risks. Staff received regular training and had their competencies checked. People’s end of life wishes had been considered and documented. Staff spoke favourably of the management team and felt listened to and consulted.

People's experience of this service

People told us they were happy living at the service and were treated with kindness by the staff. Their comments included, “Everything is good and I am happy. The staff do everything for me”, “Everyone here is nice” and “I like to feel independent, and they help me to do that.” Relatives agreed and said, “I can see how happy [family member] is now that [they have] settled. If anything happens, they email or phone me”, “It has all been trouble free, no problems or concerns”, “The carers are very attentive and know what they are doing” and “I can’t speak more highly of the Kings Lodge staff. They are all so kind.” However, some relatives thought the home was sometimes short staffed. One relative told us, “I don’t think there are enough staff. There are too many times when you see them running around” and another said, “I think there are too few staff.”