15 June 2017
During a routine inspection
Victoria Lodge Residential Home provides accommodation for up to 24 older people who require personal care. It also cares for people who have a diagnosis of dementia. At the time of the inspection there were eight people using the service. The home is situated in Edenthorpe, near Doncaster.
There was a manager in post who had applied to register with the Care Quality Commission and this application was in progress at the time of the inspection. 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.
The environment was homely and welcoming. People were content in the home and staff were attentive to their needs. People had good relationships with staff who were knowledgeable about their individual needs and personal preferences. Staff promoted people’s dignity well in all interactions and were respectful when speaking with or about people.
Individual risks to people were not fully assessed and information in people’s care plans did not sufficiently illustrate how care should be managed safely.
Staff felt supported by the manager and there was evidence of training and supervision, however training was not all up to date or effective. There were only three qualified first aid trained staff altogether and this meant they were not always on duty.
People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible. Staff sought people’s consent for all aspects of care and support.
People enjoyed their meals and staff had an understanding of people’s nutritional needs, although risks around people's nutrition were not effectively monitored. There were snacks and drinks available throughout the day.
Activities were person-centred and meaningful to individuals and staff had a good insight into people’s backgrounds, interests and hobbies.
Care plans showed where people’s care had been discussed with other professionals and reviewed. However, documentation to support people’s care and the running of the home was not all up to date, clear or concise, which meant information was fragmented and not easy to locate.
There were continued weaknesses in the systems and processes for assuring the quality of the service and issues identified through the inspection process were not routinely picked up on within the audits.
We noted the manager and the staff team were working hard to address the concerns raised at the last inspection and they had made positive changes, particularly in relation to people’s dignity and activity provision. The manager was very responsive to matters raised at this inspection and took measures to address the issues we raised. However, there were continuing concerns at this inspection in relation to the oversight and management of risk, documentation to support people’s care and the running of the home and governance.
At the last comprehensive inspection this provider was placed into special measures by CQC. This inspection found that although some improvements had been made, there was not enough improvement to take the provider out of special measures. CQC is now considering the appropriate regulatory response to resolve the problems we found.
Full information about CQC's regulatory response to any concerns found during inspections is added to reports after any representations and appeals have been concluded.
You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of this report.