This inspection took place on 6 September 2016 and was unannounced.Cleeve Lodge is a care home which provides accommodation and personal care for up to 21 older people, including people living with dementia.
There was 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 and their relatives were extremely positive about the home and the difference it made to people’s lives. Throughout the inspection there was a relaxed, cheerful atmosphere that promoted the development of meaningful relationships. There was genuine kindness and affection shown between people and staff, which had a positive impact on people’s well-being.
The service was exceptionally well led by the provider who promoted an open and honest culture. Without exception people were at the centre of all the service did. Staff respected people as individuals at all times and were passionate about the need to provide care that valued people as individuals. People were supported to remain as independent as possible with an emphasis on positive risk taking to enable them to do so. People were encouraged to pursue ambitions and supported to achieve them.
People had the opportunity to engage in activities that interested them and were supported to participate in community activities. Staff used their extensive knowledge of people to engage with them in exceptionally positive interactions and participate in activities that were personalised. Throughout the inspection we heard many animated and enthusiastic conversations between people, relatives and staff.
The service was managed by an experienced registered manager who was highly motivated. Staff told us they felt valued and listened to. The registered manager and provider were approachable and clearly available throughout the inspection. This provided clear leadership and promoted the positive culture we experienced in the home.
People’s views were always central to decisions made about the service. People were involved in plans to improve the service and their opinions were valued, listened to and acted upon. This included decisions relating to recent refurbishment of the home and garden. People were able to make requests and these were responded to positively.
The provider took exceptional steps to support people to remain at the home if this was their choice. People and their relatives were appreciative of the support and the positive impact living in the home had on people’s quality of life.
There were effective systems in place to continually monitor and improve the service. Where audits identified areas for improvements timely action was taken to resolve the issues. People, relatives and staff were regularly asked for their opinions of the service through meetings and questionnaires.
People’s care plans were developed with them. Care plans were person centred and identified how people wished to be supported. Staff had a clear understanding of their responsibilities to respect people’s decisions and to act in their best interest when necessary in line with legislation.
People were supported by staff who had the skills and knowledge to meet their needs. There were sufficient staff to meet people’s needs and staff had time to sit and chat with people.
There were systems in place to safeguard people and any concerns were investigated and reported to the appropriate agencies. Where risks to people were identified there were plans in place to support people to manage the risk.
People’s medicines were managed safely and people were supported to take their medicines as prescribed. People had access to health professionals to maintain and improve their health.
The chef was knowledgeable about people’s dietary needs and provided freshly cooked food which respected people’s choice and met their nutritional needs.