Archived: Victoria Lodge Care Home

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 was planned to check whether the provider is 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 took place on 26 October and 1 November 2016. The first day of the inspection was unannounced so the provider and staff did not know we were coming. The inspection was carried out by an adult social care inspector.

Before the inspection we reviewed the information we held about the service. This included the notifications we had received from the provider. Notifications are changes, events or incidents the provider is legally required to let us know about. The provider also completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and what improvements they plan to make.

We contacted the local authority commissioning and safeguarding officers and the clinical commissioning group (CCG). We contacted the local Healthwatch. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England.

During the inspection we spoke with 10 people living at the service, seven relatives and a visitor. We spoke with the registered manager, the deputy manager, a nurse, a senior care staff and two care workers, a catering staff and an activity co-ordinator.

We reviewed five people’s care records and 15 people’s medicines records. We viewed three staff files for recruitment as well as supervision and training records for all staff members. We looked at other records relating to the management of the service. We looked around the building and spent time with people and visitors in the communal areas.

Updated 31 December 2016

The last inspection of this home was carried out in October 2015. At that time the provider was failing to meet a legal requirement about medicines recording and induction of agency staff. The provider sent us an action plan showing how they would address these matters. During this inspection we found the provider had made improvements in these areas. Medicines records were completed and agency staff were provided with induction so they were aware of safe working practices within the home.

This inspection was carried out on 26 October and 1 November 2016. The first day of the inspection was unannounced.

Victoria Lodge Care Home is registered to provide accommodation and nursing or personal care for up to 46 people. It is a purpose-built care home with two units. The ground floor unit provides care for younger adults who are physically disabled and the first floor provides care for frail older people, some of whom may be living with dementia. At the time of this visit there were 11 people living on the ground floor unit and 25 people accommodated on the first floor.

The home had a registered manager who had been in post for a year. 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.

During this inspection we found some gaps in some people’s care records that could lead to inconsistent care. We also found that bathrooms were not in a good state of repair and were cluttered. The provider had a quality assurance system but this had not always identified or addressed the shortfalls found during this inspection.

You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of the report.

People said they felt safe and comfortable at the home. Relatives told us it was a safe place for their family members. One relative told us, “I’m sure it is safe. I checked several homes before this one and I know my [family member] is safe here.” Staff had regular training in safeguarding adults and understood their responsibilities to protect the people who lived there.

There were enough staff on duty to support the people who lived there. The staffing levels and skill mix throughout the day and night was suitable to meet people’s needs. The provider carried out checks to make sure only suitable staff were employed.

People and relatives we spoke with felt staff had the right skills to care for people. Staff told us they had good training opportunities.

People’s right to make their own decisions was respected and their consent was sought before care was provided. Staff understood the Mental Capacity Act 2005 for people who lacked capacity to make a decision.

People were supported to eat and drink enough to meet their nutrition and hydration needs. Any changes in people’s health were referred to the relevant health care agencies.

The people we spoke with who were able to express a view told us they liked the staff and had good relationships with them. One person commented, “The staff are really nice. They are very cheerful and chatty.”

People and staff enjoyed friendly, appropriate interactions. Although staff were busy they stopped to have chats with people and with visitors as they passed by.

Relatives felt staff were caring and patient. One relative told us, “Staff work very hard and are always busy, but they are always cheerful and friendly. I’ve never heard a wrong word from any of them when they’re helping people.”

The home employed an activity staff member who was enthusiastic and motivated. People told us they enjoyed various activities arranged by the activities staff member. One person told us, “There’s plenty to do. [Name of activity staff] always has something going on for us.” There were opportunities for people to go out shopping and to weekly pub lunches.

There was information in the home for people and visitors about how to make a complaint. People said they would feel able to raise concerns if necessary.

People told us they were kept informed about changes in the home and were encouraged to give their suggestions and comments. People and visitors were asked to complete individual questionnaires and also to join regular meetings which gave people a chance to give suggestions as a group. One relative commented, “We have residents/relatives meetings with the manager. She asks what we think and listens to what we say.”

The staff we spoke with felt the registered manager was approachable and supportive. One care worker told us, “I think the home is well-managed.” Another staff member commented, “We have staff meetings and can say if we think something could be improved.”