This inspection took place on 03 and 04 May 2016. Our inspection was unannounced.Pine Lodge Care is a privately owned care home that provides personal care for up to 59 older people, some of whom have dementia. The home occupies two connecting wings of detached premises, one wing is called The Firs and the other wing is called The Pines. There are two enclosed garden areas. The home is situated close to Sittingbourne town centre, with local shops, public transport and other community facilities nearby. On the day of our inspection there were 56 people living at the home
The service had a registered manager. 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 complimentary about the care and support provided by the service.
Recruitment practices were not always safe, gaps in employment history had not always been explored.
Medicines were accurately recorded and appropriately stored. Some people’s medicines records for PRN (as and when required medicines) were not up to date to evidence the medicines people were prescribed. We made a recommendation about this.
People were not always frequently weighed to monitor their weight. One person had been assessed by a community dietician following weight loss. The advice and guidance given had not been added to the person’s care plan, which meant staff would not know how to support the person effectively with their nutrition and hydration.
Effective systems were not in place to enable the provider to assess, monitor and improve the quality and safety of the service. Audits undertaken had not picked up the concerns about care records, staff recruitment records and inconsistent weighing. Records were not always complete, accurate.
Not all care plans included people’s life history and information to help staff get to know them, their preferences and life choices. We made a recommendation about this.
Staff had received training about protecting people from abuse and showed a good understanding of what their roles and responsibilities were in preventing abuse.
People’s safety had been appropriately assessed and monitored. Each person’s care plan contained individual risk assessments in which risks to their safety
There were enough staff on duty to meet people’s needs. Staff had undertaken training relevant to their roles and said that they received good levels of hands on support from the management team.
The premises and gardens were well maintained and suitable for people’s needs. The home was clean, tidy and free from offensive odours.
There were procedures in place and guidance was clear in relation to the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) that included steps that staff should take to comply with legal requirements. Staff had a good understanding of the MCA 2005 to enable them to protect people’s rights.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) monitors the operation of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) which applies to care homes. Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) applications had been made to the local authority and had been approved.
People were supported and helped to maintain their health and to access health services when they needed them.
Relatives told us that they were able to visit their family members at any reasonable time; they were always made to feel welcome.
People’s and their relatives were encouraged to feedback their views and experiences during meetings and through completion of surveys.
People were encouraged to take part in activities that they enjoyed. People were supported to be as independent as possible.
People and their relatives knew who to talk to if they were unhappy about the service.
Relatives and staff told us that the home was well run. Staff were positive about the support they received from the senior managers within the organisation. They felt they could raise concerns and they would be listened to.
Communication between staff within the home was good. They were made aware of significant events and any changes in people’s behaviour.
We found breaches of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of this report.