Princes Lodge

Princes Lodge is a residential care home providing personal care and accommodation to up to 5 people. The service provides support to people with mental health needs. At the time of our inspection there were 4 people using the service.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

People were safe. People’s risks were assessed, and staff followed guidance to ensure they were managed and reduced. The registered manager ensured there were always enough staff available to provide care and support. People’s medicines were administered safely by trained staff. The environment of the home was clean, and staff followed good practice around food hygiene and infection prevention and control.

People’s needs were assessed and information gathered during the assessments formed part of peoples care plan. Staff were supported to gain the appropriate skill and knowledge to support people effectively. Where required people received the required support to maintain a healthy and nutritious diet. People lived in a nicely decorated and well-maintained home. The service positively engaged with external health and social care services to support people to get well and gain greater independence. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

Quality assurance processes were in place to monitor and drive improvement. The provider gathered feedback from people and acted upon it, and the staff team felt supported and able to contribute their views. The service consistently worked collaboratively with external organisations to meet people’s needs.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection - The last rating for this service was good (published 12 January 2018)

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service. We undertook a focused inspection. This report only covers our findings in relation to the Key Questions Good, Effective and Well-led.

For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Princes Lodge on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.

At the last inspection in December 2015, the service was rated Good.

At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

The provider had robust systems, processes and practices to protect and safeguard people who used the service from abuse. Risks to people who used the service were assessed and monitored and management plans ensured and supported people to staff safe and life an independent life. Robust recruitment practices ensured that only staff suitable to support people to stay safe and meet their needs were employed. People were supported to administer their medicines with a view to self-administer safely in the future. The home was clean and free of offensive smells and staff followed safe infection control procedures. Accidents and incidents were recorded, monitored and assessed to ensure lessons were learned and improvements can be made when things go wrong.

People’s needs were assessed to ensure the home was able to meet people’s needs. The assessment and admission included an extended trial period for people and the service to decide if Princes Lodge was the right place. Staff were offered the opportunity to attend various training courses and were encouraged to gain further qualifications in Health and Social Care. People were mainly responsible for preparing their own meals, with some staff support as and when required. The service had excellent relationships with local mental health teams, which ensured peoples mental health improved and people gained the skill to move to more independent living. People lived in a well maintained and decorated home. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff did support them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service did support this practice.

The registered manager and staff demonstrated genuine interest and concern in people’s well-being and daily life. They treated people with kindness and respect and offered support when people needed it. People who used the service were a central part of the service and were included in decisions made about their accommodation, care and treatment they received.

Care plans were person centred and were reviewed regularly with full input and participation of people who used the service. People who used the service knew how to raise concerns and felt supported by the registered manager in resolving any issues. The home did not provide end of life care.

The registered manager was part of the team and was hands on. Staff demonstrated a clear understanding of promoting people’s independence and empowering people to life a full live. People and staff spoke highly of the registered manager and told us that he was very supportive, caring and easy to talk to. The service had effective quality assurance systems in place, which ensured the quality of service was continuously improved.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

The service met all of the regulations we inspected against at our last inspection on 13 January 2014.

Princes Lodge provides accommodation and personal care for four people with mental health needs in a forensic step down facility. The home is located in the London Borough of Brent North West London and is a residential property over two floors. The home is used as a step down facility for people with mental health needs with the aim to support people into more independent accommodation. There is 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.

Staff working in Princes Lodge understood the needs of the people who used the service and we saw that care was provided with respect and compassion. People who used the service told us they were happy with their care. People had good access to health care professionals, which ensured their mental and physical health was regularly monitored and assessed.

Staff showed a sound understanding of protecting vulnerable people from abuse and we saw that appropriate safeguards were put into place.

Medicines were managed safely and care workers received regular medicines administration training.

Staff were appropriately trained and skilled and provided care in a safe environment. They all received a thorough induction when they started work and fully understood their roles and responsibilities, as well as the values and philosophy of the home.

The staff had also completed extensive training to ensure that the care provided to people was safe and effective to meet their needs.

Throughout our inspection we saw examples of good care that helped make Princes Lodge a place where people felt included and consulted. People were involved in the planning of their care and were treated with dignity, privacy and respect.

People who used the service were encouraged to raise concerns, which had been responded swiftly and had been resolved by the registered manager.

The provider had employed skilled staff and took steps to make sure the care was based on local and national best practice.

The registered manager assessed and monitored the quality of care consistently. The provider encouraged feedback from people who used the service, care staff, relatives and outside professionals, which they used to make improvements to the service.

We found that the provider took steps to ensure people were respected and involved in decisions about their care and support, and that care and support was planned and delivered to meet people's needs.

We saw that the service had a system in place to ensure people were protected from the risk of abuse, and that the premises were newly renovated, safe and suitable for people's needs.

We found that staff were appropriately checked before starting work, and that the provider had a system in place to gain and act upon people's feedback about the quality of the service they received.