Archived: Whitelodge Care Home

We found the following examples of good practice.

• The home had designated entrance with posters displayed which explained the safety procedures in place. Due to the COVID-19 outbreak the only visitors to the home were professionals. They were asked to adhere to the home’s infection control procedures. On arrival visitors were asked to sign in and had their temperature checked. They were provided with personal protective equipment (PPE) that included gloves, aprons, facemasks and shoe protectors. They were then shown to the area of the home they were visiting.

• People had been supported to maintain contact with their loved ones, by email and phone calls, when they were unable to visit. Some people had written letters to family members with the help from staff.

• Daily activities continued to take place which had been organised by the staff team. The registered manager told us that during the summer entertainers performed outside in the garden area. We were told this was very much enjoyed by people. One to one activities were also provided for people.

• The home had a seated garden area which was used so family and friends could visit people. Visits were pre booked with social distancing measures adhered to. Visits had been temporarily halted until further notice due to the outbreak.

• The registered manager told us that no new admissions had been made to the home for many months. If people were admitted to the home, risk assessments were completed, and people were isolated for 14 days. Staff would be allocated to people on a one to one basis, to provide personal care and support.

• Some people in the home were living with dementia, and unable to understand the need for social distancing. Staff were aware of the need to mitigate the risks associated with people being in close contact with one another. Some chairs in lounge areas were removed to allow for social distancing. There were enhanced cleaning of surfaces and people were supported to wash and sanitise their hands regularly. Some people were being isolated in their rooms at the time of our inspection.

• The home took part in regular testing for COVID-19. Staff were tested weekly, and people who lived at the home were tested monthly.

• Whitelodge Care Home had policies and procedures in place. Staff had received infection control training and were kept up to date with any changes in guidance and information. Staff were given practical training on how PPE should be used. The registered manager planned to undertake spot checks on staff to check they were wearing PPE correctly during evenings and at night.

• The registered manager told us they were well supported by the local GP and the nurse practitioner, with weekly support visits and calls taking place.

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

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 were safe. Any risks to people’s health and welfare were well managed in order to mitigate the risk. Safe recruitment procedures were followed to ensure unsuitable staff were not employed. Staff received safeguarding adults training and knew what their responsibilities were if bad practice was witnessed, alleged or suspected. The appropriate steps were in place to protect people from being harmed.

The premises were well maintained and all maintenance checks were completed. The management of medicines was safe and people received their medicines as prescribed. The registered manager ensured staffing levels were sufficient to meet the care and support needs of each person in residence.

All staff had a programme of mandatory training and refresher training to complete. New staff had an induction training programme to complete at the start of their employment. Care staff were supported to complete nationally recognised qualifications in health and social care. The staff team were well supported to do their jobs.

People were encouraged to make their own choices and decisions and to remain as independent as possible. Staff asked people to consent before they provided care and support. When people lacked the capacity to make decisions, best interest decisions were made involving healthcare professionals. We found the service to be aware of the principles of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards. They had acted accordingly when there was a need.

People were provided with well- balanced and nutritious meals and sufficient fluids. They were encouraged to make suggestions about meal choices. Each person was registered with a local GP and arrangements were made for people to see their GP and other healthcare professionals as and when they needed to.

The staff employed at Whitelodge Care Home were kind and caring towards the people they were looking after. On the whole their interactions with people were friendly and meaningful but we did discuss with the registered manager the competency and approach of one staff member. People were able to participate in a range of different activities.

People and their families where appropriate, were involved in devising their care plans and making decisions about how they were looked after. Their care plan was regularly reviewed to ensure it remained a true reflection of their care and support needs. Staff listened to what people had to say about the things that affected their daily life and how the service was run.

‘Resident’ meetings were held on a two monthly basis and enabled people to express their views and make suggestions about how things could be done differently. Staff meetings were also held every two months. There was a regular of audits and checks in place in order to monitor the quality and safety of the service. These checks enabled the provider and registered manager to identify any shortfalls and to make improvements.

At our most recent inspection we found that the provider had replaced the flooring in this person's bedroom with a more suitable product. However, a referral to the continence service, which the manager in post at the time of our previous inspection undertook to make, had only just been made and the assessment had not yet taken place.

People were offered a choice of food which was home cooked from fresh ingredients and support was available for those who needed it. People's nutritional needs were assessed and their weight monitored. People told us they enjoyed the food.

Medicines were stored and administered safely and there were systems in place to check that staff were competent and keeping accurate records of medicines.

Appropriate checks were carried out before new staff were employed.

The provider operated an effective complaints system and people were confident that their complaints would be taken seriously.

On our inspection of 26 November 2012 we found that standards at the home had improved. Many areas of the home had been redecorated with further work planned. New chairs and carpets had been provided in the lounge. People told us that they were happy with the care they received. We saw that staff spoke to people kindly and were able to tell us about people's preferences.

During our visit an activity took place and we observed people laughing and singing and staff told us that activities were a lot of fun. People told us that the staff were very kind and friendly and that they enjoyed the food.

Care records were much improved and now contained appropriate information about people's health needs as well as personal care needs.

There had been an increase in the number of cleaning staff and this had made a significant difference to the standard of cleanliness in the home. Staff told us they had more time to talk to people in the afternoon as the number of staff in the afternoon had been increased.