Archived: Stafford Lodge

Updated 31 December 2016

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This inspection visit took place on 15 December 2016 and was unannounced. The inspection was carried out by one adult social care inspector. Prior to the inspection we reviewed the information we had about the home, including notifications of events the home is required by law to send us.

People who lived in Stafford Lodge were mostly unable to talk to us about their experience of the home because they had communication difficulties. During our inspection it was not appropriate to conduct a short observational framework for inspection (SOFI) because people spent most of the time in different rooms and being supported by staff to go about their day. SOFI is a specific way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who are unable to talk to us. Although we did not conduct a SOFI during this inspection, we used the principles of SOFI when conducting our observations around the home.

We looked around the home, spent time with people in the lounge, the kitchen, the dining room and saw some of their bedrooms. We observed how staff interacted with people throughout the inspection. We spent time with people over the lunchtime meal period. We spent time with four people who lived in Stafford Lodge, five members of staff and the registered manager.

We looked at the way in which medicines were recorded, stored and administered to people. We also looked at the way in which meals were prepared and served. We looked in detail at the care provided to three people, including looking at their care files and other records. We looked at the recruitment files for three staff members and other records relating to the operation of the home such as risk assessments, policies and procedures.

Updated 31 December 2016

Stafford Lodge provides accommodation and support for up to five people who have autistic spectrum disorders and learning disabilities.

The home had a registered manager. 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 a legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

We carried out a previous inspection of this service on 1 October 2013 where we found the service was meeting the requirements in the areas we looked at.

This inspection took place on 15 December 2016 and was unannounced. At the time of our inspection there were five people living in Stafford Lodge. People had a range of needs, with some people living with epilepsy, autism spectrum disorders and learning disabilities.

Staff treated people with kindness and respect. People enjoyed pleasant interactions with staff which demonstrated people felt comfortable in their presence. Staff knew people’s preferences and communicated with people using their preferred methods of communication. For example, staff had used pictures in order to enable one person to better express their wishes and enable them to make choices. During our inspection we saw positive and caring interactions between people and staff. We found staff had caring attitudes towards people and spoke highly of them, their personalities and qualities within their care plans.

People were protected from risks relating to their health, medicines, nutrition and behaviours. Staff had assessed individual risks to people and had taken action to minimise these risks. Where accidents and incidents had taken place, these had been reviewed and action had been taken to reduce the risks of reoccurrence. Staff supported people to take their medicines safely and staff competencies relating to the administration of medicines were regularly checked.

Staff knew how to recognise possible signs of abuse which also helped protect people. Staff knew what signs to look out for and the procedures to follow should they need to report concerns. Safeguarding information and contact numbers for the relevant bodies were accessible. Staff told us they felt comfortable raising concerns. Recruitment procedures were in place to ensure only people of good character were employed by the home. Staff underwent Disclosure and Barring Service (police record) checks before they started work in order to ensure they were suitable to work with people who were vulnerable.

Staffing numbers at the service were sufficient to meet people’s needs and provide them with two to one or one to one support where required. Staff had the competencies and information they required in order to meet people’s needs. Staff received sufficient training as well as regular supervision and appraisal.

Staff had the competencies and information they required in order to meet people’s needs. Staff had a good understanding of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and put it into practice. Where people had been unable to make a particular decision at a particular time, their capacity had been assessed and best interests decisions had taken place and had been recorded. Where people were being deprived of their liberty for their own safety the registered manager had made Deprivation of Liberty Safeguard (DoLS) applications to the local authority.

People were supported to have enough to eat and drink in ways that met their needs and preferences. People were supported to make choices about what they wanted to eat and encouraged to help prepare meals where they were able.

There was open and effective management at Stafford Lodge. The registered manager led by example to ensure best practice was followed. People, relatives, staff and healthcare professionals were asked for their feedback and suggestions in order to improve the service. There were effective systems in place to assess, monitor and improve the quality and safety of the care and support being delivered.