Aspen Lodge Care Home

This inspection took place on 10 and 11 July 2018. The inspection was unannounced, this meant the staff and provider did not know we would be visiting.

At our last inspection in December 2016 we rated the service good. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. The inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

People who use the service were kept safe by a service that maintained safe premises and equipment. Staff took steps to reduce risks to people and understood their responsibilities to protect people from abuse. Medicines were managed safely and people were protected from the risk of infection. People's needs were met by appropriate levels of suitable staff.

People received effective care which met their needs. People had access to services to support their health and wellbeing. People's nutrition and hydration needs were met and people told us the food was "very good". People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible.

We made a recommendation for the service to improve the physical environment for people living with dementia.

Staff were caring, compassionate and kind to people and protected their privacy and dignity. Staff were passionate about providing high quality care. People told us they were treated with respect.

People received care which was responsive to their needs. Staff knew the people they supported including their personal histories and preferences and provided individualised care.

We made a recommendation for the service to seek guidance to improve end of life care plans for people using the service.

Staff, people and relatives fed back positively about the registered managers and the support they received. The service had strong values to provide a "home from home" and recruited staff based on their caring nature. There had been an improvement in submission of statutory notifications since the last inspection.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

Aspen Lodge Care Home provides accommodation and care for up to 20 older people with mental health needs or people living with dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 17 people living at the home.

The home had a registered manager who had been registered since November 2010. 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.

People and their relatives told us they felt safe living at the home. Staff had received training in safeguarding adults and knew how to identify, prevent and report abuse.

There were enough staff to keep people safe and people were treated with kindness and respect.

People liked living at the home and felt it was well-led. There was an open and transparent culture. Staff and people told us they were encouraged to talk to the manager about any concerns.

The relatives were complimentary about the care and support the staff provided. A relative commented 'staff are fantastic'. Another comment was 'excellent place'. Another relative commented 'we are very happy for mum to be here'. They told us the home was always clean and staff 'very welcoming'.

Care plans were detailed and reflected people's needs. Staff were aware of their responsibilities to safeguard people and report any poor practices. The environment was clean and well maintained. Medicines were managed appropriately. There was a management structure that looked at staffing to ensure there were adequate staff to meet people's needs

People told us they were treated 'very well', the staff were 'marvellous'. They said the staff offered them choices with the activity of daily living. A person said 'I get up when I am ready'. Another person said they were always up early and received support as needed. They told us they had choices and the meals were 'very good and plenty to eat and drink'. People told us they received care from staff who were "very good and very kind".

A healthcare professional told us people received a high standard of care, the staff were knowledgeable and supportive of people's needs. A visitor said the staff were very welcoming and they were pleased with the care their relative was receiving. They said the home was very nice and clean. We observed the staff were friendly, respectful and courteous when speaking and attending to people.

People had access to healthcare professionals and treatment as needed. There was a recruitment process that was followed and staff checks were completed. People were supported to raise their concerns and these were responded to appropriately.