Aden Lodge Care Home

Updated 6 January 2021

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.

As part of CQC’s response to care homes with outbreaks of coronavirus, we are conducting reviews to ensure that the Infection Prevention and Control practice was safe and the service was compliant with IPC measures. This was a targeted inspection looking at the IPC practices the provider has in place.

This inspection took place on 24 November 2020 and was announced.

Updated 6 January 2021

The inspection of Aden Lodge Care Home (known to people who live at the home, relatives and staff as Aden Lodge) took place on 24 and 25 January 2018 and was unannounced on the first day. This meant the home did not know we were coming.

Aden Lodge is registered to provide accommodation and personal care for up to 40 people, some of whom are living with dementia. It is a purpose built home and provides single room accommodation with en-suite facilities. At the time of our inspection 26 people were living at Aden Lodge.

Aden Lodge is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

The home had previously been inspected during December 2016 and was found to require improvement at that time. The previous inspection found breaches of regulations in relation to safe care and treatment and good governance. During this inspection, we checked and found improvements had been made in both these areas and we did not identify any breaches of regulations during this inspection.

The home had a registered manager in post. 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 told us they felt safe living at Aden Lodge. The registered manager and staff were aware of relevant procedures to help keep people safe and staff could describe signs that may indicate someone was at risk of abuse or harm. Staff had received safeguarding training.

Staff were recruited safely and there were sufficient numbers of staff deployed to meet people’s needs. Staff told us they felt supported and we saw evidence staff had received appropriate induction, training and ongoing supervision.

Risks to people had been assessed and measures were in place to reduce risk. The building was well maintained and regular safety checks took place.

Medicines were managed, stored and administered safely and appropriately, by staff who had been trained, and assessed as competent, to do so.

People were supported to have choice and control of their lives and we observed staff supported people in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People received appropriate support in order to have their nutritional and hydration needs met.

People told us staff were caring and we observed staff to be kind and considerate. We observed people’s privacy and dignity was respected. There was a pleasant, relaxed atmosphere in the home.

Care records were person centred and reviewed regularly. A ‘resident of the day’ system helped to ensure people’s care needs and assessments were regularly updated. People told us they could make their own choices in relation to their daily lives.

However, the registered provider was not always responsive to people’s needs and requests. Actions from a, ‘You Said, We Did,’ notice had not consistently been implemented. Appropriate information was shared between staff to enable continuity of care.

There was a complaints policy in place and we found complaints were responded to appropriately and in line with policy.

People received support in order to meet their wider health care needs.

Staff told us they felt supported and people and their relatives spoke positively about the registered manager. Meetings such as staff meetings and residents’ and relatives’ meetings were held regularly. Regular audits and quality assurance checks took place, to help improvements to continue at the home.