Melba Lodge Limited Also known as 67 Brewery Road

Melba Lodge is a residential care home providing accommodation and personal care, registered to support up to four people with mental health needs and/or learning disabilities or autism. There were four people using the service at the time of the inspection.

The service has been developed and designed in line with the principles and values that underpin Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. This ensures that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes. The principles reflect the need for people with learning disabilities and/or autism to live meaningful lives that include control, choice, and independence. People using the service receive planned and co-ordinated person-centred support that is appropriate and inclusive for them.

People’s experience of using this service

Some improvement was needed to the management of medicines and to ensure quality assurance systems were effective in identifying areas for improvements. We have made a recommendation that the provider considers best practice guidance on managing medicines and about the use of nationally recognised tools when assessing people’s needs.

The service applied the principles and values of Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. For example, in the way it assessed people's needs and worked with people to identify individual goals that increased their confidence and independence.

People told us they felt safe living at the home. Staff understood the provider’s safeguarding and whistle blowing procedures, should they need to use them. Risks to people were assessed and risk management plans in place. There were enough staff to meet people’s needs and safe recruitment practices were followed.

Staff knew how to report and record the details of any accidents or incidents which occurred at the home. The registered manager reviewed accident and incidents for learning and to reduce the risk of repeat occurrence.

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.

Staff received sufficient training and support to meet people’s needs. People were supported to maintain a balanced diet. Staff worked closely with a range of health professionals and ensure people had access to a range of healthcare services when needed.

People told us staff treated them with dignity and respected their privacy. Staff treated people with kindness and consideration. People were involved in making decisions about the support they received.

The outcomes for people using the service reflected the principles and values of Registering the Right Support by promoting choice and control, independence and inclusion. People's support focused on them having as many opportunities as possible for them to gain new skills and become more independent.

People had personalised care plans that reflected their care needs. They were encouraged to take part in activities within the community and to be as independent as possible. The provider had a complaints procedure in place and people told us they knew how to complain and were confident that any issues they raised would be addressed to their satisfaction

The registered manager worked with staff to create an open and person-centred culture at the home. They worked in partnership with health and social care professionals to plan and deliver an effective service.

There were some systems to monitor the quality of the service. The registered manager sought people’s views on the service through regular meetings and an annual survey. They sought to make improvements based on feedback..

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 26 July 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

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.

Melba Lodge, 67 Brewery Road, is a residential care home that provides accommodation and support for up to four people with mental health needs. At the time of our inspection the home was providing care and support to three people. The registered provider was also the registered manager for the home. 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.

There were safeguarding adults and whistle-blowing procedures in place and staff had a clear understanding of these procedures. Appropriate recruitment checks took place before staff started work. There were enough staff on duty to meet people’s needs. Risks to people were assessed and care plans and risk assessments provided clear information and guidance for staff on how to support people to meet their needs. People’s medicines were managed appropriately and people received their medicines as prescribed by health care professionals.

Staff had completed training specific to the needs of the people they supported and they received regular supervision and annual appraisals of their work performance. The registered manager understood the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) and acted in accordance with this legislation. People were supported to have a balanced diet and they had access to health care professionals when they needed them.

People had been consulted about their care and support needs. They were also provided with information about the home and the standard of care they should expect. People’s privacy and dignity were respected. People said they knew about the home’s complaints procedure and said they were confident their complaints would be fully investigated and action taken if necessary.

The provider sought the views of people using the service through surveys and at residents meetings. Where people had made suggestions they had been listened to and acted upon.

The home had been awarded a certificate from a care home magazine for being one of the top 20 care homes in London. Staff said they enjoyed working at the home and they received good support from the registered manager. There was an out of hours on call system in operation that ensured management support and advice was always available when staff needed it.