Background to this inspection
Updated
10 April 2020
The inspection:
We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned in response to concerns. Initially this was a focused inspection to look at specific areas. However, after identifying concerns in other area’s the inspection was widened into a full comprehensive inspection to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.
Inspection team:
The first two visits were carried out by two inspectors and our final visit was carried out by an inspector and inspection manager.
Service and service type:
The Lodge is a care home for older people, some of whom may be living with dementia. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.
The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided in line with the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations.
Notice of inspection: This inspection was unannounced.
What we did:
We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. This included details about incidents the provider must notify us about. We reviewed concerns that had been raised with us about the service. We used all this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection, we spoke with three people who used the service and one relative to ask about their experience of the care provided.
We spoke with the registered manager, two deputy managers, three care staff and two external health professionals. We looked at nine records in relation to people who used the service. We also looked at staff files as well as records relating to the management of the service, recruitment, policies, training and systems for monitoring quality.
Updated
10 April 2020
About the service: The Lodge provides accommodation and personal care for up to 20 older people who need 24 hour support and care. At the time of our visit 15 people were using the service.
What life is like for people using this service:
People who live at The Lodge were placed at risk of not having their needs met in a timely way or in line with their preferences. This is because the provider was not deploying sufficient numbers of staff.
The environment was poor and in need of attention in order for it to promote people’s dignity.
People were not supported to remain engaged and did not have appropriate access to meaningful activity.
People were not offered a choice of good quality, nutritional meals. The service did not identify people’s risk of malnutrition and take action where people lost weight.
Improvements were required to end of life care planning in line with best practice guidance.
The information in care plans and risk assessments was conflicting and in some cases did not reflect people’s current needs.
Medicines were not stored, managed and administered safely.
The service was not clean and there was an intermittent hot water supply.
The provider and registered manager had failed to act on the findings of our previous inspection on 7 and 13 November 2019. The service provided to people had deteriorated further which placed people at risk of harm.
Prompt and appropriate actions were not taken between our three inspection visits to address serious concerns which placed people at risk of harm.
The service could not evidence that they consulted other healthcare professionals on some occasions where this would’ve been appropriate.
People and their representatives were not involved in the planning of their care and had not been given recent opportunities to feedback on the service they received.
See more information in Detailed Findings below.
Rating at last inspection: Requires improvement (Report published 21 December 2018).
Why we inspected: This inspection was carried out as a result of concerns we received about the safety of the service.
Follow up: Following the inspection we urgently raised our concerns with the local authority who responded swiftly to meet with the provider and discuss the concerns. People living in the service were subsequently moved to local residential homes with the support of the local authority and this service is no longer operating.