Archived: Morell Lodge

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

People, their relatives, professionals and staff, were all very positive about the improvements seen under the new provider. One relative said it has been, “Like Breath of fresh air, residents want for nothing.” A staff member told us the provider had, “Made such a vast improvement in a year.”

People told us they felt safe living at Morell Lodge. One person said, “I like it here.” Staff received safeguarding training and understood their responsibility in keeping people safe. Risk assessments were in place to ensure people’s health and welfare was not compromised, whilst promoting people to maintain their independence. Staff managed people’s medicines safely and kept the home clean and hygienic. People said there were enough staff to respond to their needs. The provider did not use a dependency tool to help assist them in calculating their staffing levels. We have made a recommendation to drive improvement in this area.

People’s needs were assessed prior to being offered a place at the service. Staff monitored people’s health and welfare, liaising with external healthcare professionals to access support in a timely manner. People told us they enjoyed the food and had access to snacks and drinks to support their nutritional needs. Staff received training and support to effectively carry out their role. There was a programme of ongoing redecoration and refurbishment which enhanced and personalised the environment. We have made a recommendation about the use of colour pallets, to drive improvement in this area.

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.

Management and staff enjoyed their work, and were highly motivated, kind and compassionate. People and their relatives praised the caring, friendly staff and said they would not hesitate to recommend the service to others. Staff knew people well and understood their preferred routines, likes and dislikes and what was important to them. They supported people to maintain links with those that mattered to them, and ensured their visitors felt comfortable visiting.

Care plans showed people were being consulted over their care. Staff encouraged people to join in and try new activities to promote their wellbeing. People knew who to talk to if they had any concerns or complaints and felt confident that any would be dealt with.

There were systems in place to monitor the quality and safety of the service people received; using feedback to continually develop and improve the service. One staff member told us the registered manager has, “Only been doing it [managing] a little while but is doing a good job.”

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 requires improvement (published 10 September 2018). Since this rating was awarded the registered provider of the service has changed. We have used the previous rating to inform our planning and decisions about the rating at this inspection.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on our timescale since the service was registered with the CQC.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.