Archived: Stonedale Lodge Care Home

Accommodation is provided on six units, each with 30 beds. Dalton and Anderton units provide personal care for people living with dementia, Clifton unit provides nursing care for people living with dementia, Blundell and Townley provide general nursing care and Sherburne unit provides general personal care.

This unannounced inspection of Stonedale Lodge Care Home took place over three days from 14-16 March 2017. At the time of our inspection 142 people were living in the home.

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.

At the last inspection in February 2016 we found previous breaches of regulation had been met. Although improvements had been made we had not rated the service as ‘good’ at that inspection as we needed evidence of longer term consistency in respect of maintaining improvements within the service. At this inspection we found these improvements had been maintained and developed further.

People living at the home and relatives told us they felt staff delivered safe care.

The environment and equipment was subject to checks and service contracts to ensure the safety of people living at the home.

The staff we spoke with described how they would recognise abuse and the action they would take to ensure actual or potential harm was reported. An adult safeguarding policy and the local authority’s safeguarding procedure was available for staff to refer to.

Staff we spoke with told us they always asked for people's consent before providing care and we observed this during the visit.

Care plans provided information to inform staff about people's care needs and risks to people’s health and wellbeing had been assessed to ensure their safety.

People and relatives were included in planning care and involved in care reviews. This could be recorded in more detail to show their involvement.

People at the home were supported by the staff and external health care professionals to maintain

their health and wellbeing.

The home adhered to the principles of the Mental Capacity Act (2005). Applications to deprive people of their liberty under the Mental Capacity Act (2005) had been submitted to the local authority.

The staff in the home knew the people they were supporting and the care they needed. Staff approach was kind and supportive and people’s individual needs and preferences were respected by staff.

Staff files showed appropriate recruitment checks had been made so that staff employed were 'fit' to work with vulnerable people.

Staff received training in key areas and more ‘specific’ training to ensure they had the skills and knowledge to care for people safely. There was an induction programme with mentorship for new staff.

Staff told us they received a good level of support from the management team. This included supervision meetings and appraisals.

We observed there was enough staff to carry out care in a timely manner. We saw staff were attentive to the needs of people and no one appeared to wait for assistance.

Activities co-ordinators provided a varied programme of social activities in accordance with people’s needs and wishes. Staff were aware of the importance of providing stimulation for people with dementia to keep people engaged and motivated.

People told us they enjoyed the meals and the menus provided a good choice of well balanced meals. People’s nutritional needs were assessed and catered for. We observed lunch and this was a sociable occasion for people.

People and relatives were invited to give feedback about the home through meetings, surveys and daily discussions with the staff.

We observed relatives visiting during the inspection and people told us there were no restrictions on visiting encouraging relationships to be maintained.

A complaints’ procedure was available and people living at the home and relatives were aware of how to raise a concern/complaint

The manager was aware of their responsibility to notify us, the Care Quality Commission (CQC), of any notifiable incidents in the home.

The culture within the service was and open and transparent. Staff and people said the home was ‘well run’ and the registered manager was supportive and approachable.

There was a good management structure in the home with effective quality assurance processes and systems to monitor standards and to support future improvements within the service.