17 August 2023
During a routine inspection
Franklyn Lodge 9 Grand Avenue is a care home providing residential care to 6 people with learning disabilities.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
We expect health and social care providers to guarantee people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices and independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ is the guidance the Care Quality Commission (CQC) follows to make assessments and judgements about services supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people and providers must have regard to it.
Right Support:
Some staff worked long hours without an appropriate rest break before their next shift. People were cared for by staff who had been recruited and employed after appropriate checks had been completed. We found that there were gaps in staff training and it was not clear if training had been completed by some staff. There were systems in place to minimise the risk of infection. Medicines were managed effectively. 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.
Right Care:
There was a calm and relaxed atmosphere in the service. People received kind and compassionate care. Staff protected and respected people's privacy and dignity. Care and treatment was planned and delivered in a way which focused on people’s individual needs. People were supported to help achieve their goals and aspirations by a staff team who knew them well. However, it was not always evident that people were supported to engage in activities that enabled them to develop their skills. Communication was either verbal or through observing people's reactions to suggestions or actions.
Right Culture:
The service had made some improvements to their quality assurance system since the previous inspection. However, we found that there were still some areas that needed to be addressed and were not assured that quality assurance systems were sufficiently robust. The registered manager promoted a culture in the home where staff valued people's individuality and protected their rights. Staff were responsive to people’s needs and wishes. Staff and family members spoke positively about the management of the service. The staff turnover at the service was low, which helped ensure people received consistent care from staff who knew them well.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection
The last rating for this service was requires improvement (published 7 May 2020).
Why we inspected
This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service. 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.
Enforcement and recommendations
We have identified 1 breach of regulation in relation to quality assurance at this inspection. We have also made a recommendation in relation to staffing, staff training and activities.
Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.
Follow up
We will request an action plan from the provider to understand what they will do to improve the standards of quality and safety. We will work alongside the provider and local authority to monitor progress. We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.