Umika Lodge Care Home

Updated 15 July 2022

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

As part of this inspection we looked at the infection control and prevention measures in place. This was conducted so we can understand the preparedness of the service in preventing or managing an infection outbreak, and to identify good practice we can share with other services.

Inspection team

This inspection was carried out by two inspectors.

Service and service type

Umika Lodge is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing and/or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement dependent on their registration with us. Umika Lodge is a care home without nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Registered Manager

This service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with two people who used the service and four relatives about their experience of the care provided. We also used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experiences of people who could not talk with us.

We spoke with six members of staff including the registered manager, deputy manager and care staff and we reviewed a range of records. This included three people’s care and medicines records, three staff files in relation to recruitment and a variety of records relating to the management of the service.

Updated 15 July 2022

About the service

Umika Lodge is a residential care home providing personal care to up to 29 older people, some of whom are living with dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 20 people using the service.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

People’s care was not always personalised to reflect their individual needs and preferences. People had care plans and risk assessments in place which detailed how they liked to be supported; however, care was not always delivered in line with this guidance. People were not always supported to engage in meaningful activities of their choice and information about how people were being supported with their preferred pastimes lacked detail.

The provider had made improvements to their processes for monitoring the quality and safety of the service since the last inspection. However, these systems were still not robust and had not identified the concerns we found during the inspection. The provider’s processes for checking the administration of people’s medicines were not always effective in highlighting errors.

People were protected from the risk of infection. The provider had made improvements to their COVID-19 policy and contingency planning to ensure safe processes were in place in case of any future outbreaks of infection. Staff wore appropriate personal protective equipment [PPE] and had received training in managing the risk of infection and donning and doffing.

The provider had increased staffing levels in the service since the last inspection and staff had received an induction and training relevant to their role. Staff were safely recruited and the provider had completed the appropriate checks prior to them starting work.

People were protected from the risk of abuse and staff knew how to identify and report safeguarding concerns. The provider had a process in place for responding to complaints and people and relatives told us they felt comfortable raising any issues with the management team.

The provider worked alongside other healthcare professionals in order to support people’s health needs, making referrals and seeking additional support where appropriate. People’s end of life care wishes had been considered and the relevant information recorded.

People, relatives and staff spoke positively about the culture of the service and told us the management team were approachable and supportive.

Rating at last inspection and update

The last rating for this service was requires improvement (published 30 March 2021) and there were breaches of regulation.

At this inspection enough improvement had not been made and the provider was still in breach of regulations and the service remains rated requires improvement. This service has been rated requires improvement for the last three consecutive inspections.

Why we inspected

We carried out an unannounced inspection of this service on 12 January 2021. Breaches of legal requirements were found. The provider was asked to complete an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve the safety of people’s care, staff training and oversight of the service.

We undertook this focused inspection to follow up on the action we told the provider to take at the last inspection. This report only covers our findings in relation to the Key Questions of Safe, Responsive and Well-led. For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating.

We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Umika Lodge on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Enforcement

We are mindful of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our regulatory function. This meant we took account of the exceptional circumstances arising as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic when considering what enforcement action was necessary and proportionate to keep people safe as a result of this inspection. We will continue to monitor the service and will take further action if needed.

We have identified breaches in relation to person-centred care and oversight at the service. Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.

Follow up

We will meet with the provider following this report being published to discuss how they will make changes to ensure they improve their rating to at least good. We will work with the local authority to monitor progress. We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.