Archived: Whitelodge Care Home

Updated 20 November 2020

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 05 November 2020 and was announced.

Updated 20 November 2020

About the service

Whitelodge is a residential care home providing residential care for up to 21 people in one adapted building. At the time of the inspection 21 people were using the service. Some of the people who lived at the service needed care and support due to dementia, sensory and /or physical disabilities.

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

There were some areas of the service which required additional heating due to the system not always being effective. Some rooms had portable heaters to ensure a consistent temperature. The providers were aware of the issue and were taking action to address this. Portable heater risk assessments were in place to ensure safety.

Staff understood their role in protecting people from harm and assessing avoidable risks. There were enough staff to provide care to people and they were available when people needed support.

People received their medicines as prescribed. There was limited storage space in the room being used to store medicines. However other, more suitable options were being investigated by the registered manager and deputy manager.

People received care and support from staff who knew them well. Staff were trained and competent in their roles and monitored people's health and wellbeing. When needed, referrals were made to other healthcare professionals. Staff responded to advice given to ensure people received the care they required.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests. The policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People told us they felt happy and safe living in Whitelodge. One person told us, “I have everything I need here. I am very happy and the staff are wonderful.”

The service was clean although there were some low-level odours in some areas of the service. Refurbishment plans were in place to address this.

Care plans were personalised and reflected people’s individual needs. The service supported people to engage in activities both inside and outside of their home. People's communication needs were being met and complaints were acted upon.

The quality of the service was monitored regularly through audit checks and receiving people’s feedback.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection and update

The last rating for this service was Good (Published 14 July 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk