Evergreen Lodge

Updated 5 February 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. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

Our inspection was completed by one inspector and an expert by experience. An expert by experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

Evergreen Lodge is a residential care home that provides accommodation and personal care for adults with mental health conditions.

People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. The Care Quality Commission (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 that the registered manager and provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

Our inspection was informed by evidence we already held about the service. We also checked for feedback we received from members of the public, the local authority and clinical commissioning groups (CCGs).

We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections.

During the inspection

We spoke with four people using the service, two relatives and two visitors. We spoke with the registered manager, acting deputy manager and one support worker. We reviewed three people’s care records, medicines records, three staff files, audits and other records about the management of the service.

Updated 5 February 2020

About the service

Evergreen Lodge is a residential care home providing accommodation and personal care. The home accommodates up to 12 people in one house. At the time of our inspection 10 people with mental health conditions were living at the home.

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

The provider supported people with their medicines safely. Risks to people, including those relating to their mental health conditions, were well managed. The provider carried out recruitment checks on staff to ensure they were suitable to work with people. There were enough staff to support people safely. Staff followed suitable infection control practices and received training to understand their responsibilities.

Staff received a suitable induction with ongoing training and support to care for people with mental health conditions. People received their choice of food, were supported to maintain their health and their needs were assessed and monitored. 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.

People were positive about the staff who supported them and developed good relationships with them. Staff knew people well and treated people with dignity and respect. People were involved people in their care. People’s care plans were based on their need and preferences and people received personalised care. People had enough activities they were interested in to occupy themselves. The provider had a suitable process to respond to any concerns or complaints.

A registered manager was in post who understood their role and responsibilities, as did staff. A clear hierarchy was in place and staff felt well supported by the management team. People, visitors and staff told us the service was well-led and the provider engaged well with them, and our findings were in agreement. The provider had sufficient oversight of the service and carried out a range of checks to ensure standards remained high.

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 (report published June 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the rating at the last inspection.

Follow up

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