4 August 2021
During a routine inspection
Windmill Lodge Care Home is a care home providing personal and nursing care for up to 93 people. At the time of our inspection, there were 85 people using the service. The service supported older people living with dementia and nursing needs. The home is arranged over three floors, each with their own separate adapted facilities.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People felt safe living at the service. Staff completed comprehensive risk assessments that included mitigating strategies to keep people safe. Although a few people told us that staff were in a rush sometimes, there were enough staff to meet people’s care needs as necessary. People received their medicines as prescribed. Staff had the necessary support and equipment to effectively manage risks in relation to COVID-19 and hygiene requirements.
The home was adapted to meet the needs of people living there. Although some staff missed the date for their refresher courses to be completed, they had a good level of knowledge to ensure people’s well-being. Legal requirements were followed in making a best interest decision for people, but the provider had agreed to review their processes to ensure that mental capacity assessments were completed appropriately. People’s nutritional needs were thoroughly assessed so that staff could meet people's care needs.
People described staff as caring, polite and respecting their dignity. Events in the home took place to encourage and support people’s diverse care needs. Staff worked with people to understand their choices and wishes which were reflected in care records.
Care plans were robust and reviewed regularly to reflect people’s changing care needs. Individual needs were considered to ensure effective care delivery, including the activities people wanted to take part in. Staff were aware and supported people with their communication needs. People felt able to raise any concerns they had if needed.
There was a good leadership at the service with set values for inclusion and empowering of people. The staff team had support to carry out their responsibilities effectively and safely. Quality assurance processes in place were used to improve the care delivery and lessons were learnt quickly to prevent repeated incidents. The service developed close contacts and good communication with the healthcare professionals for partnership working.
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 overall rating for this service was requires improvement (published 02/05/2019). We also undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of Safe and Well-led (published 26/08/2020).
Why we inspected
We carried out the inspection to check whether the provider had embedded and sustained improvements that we had noted at our previous inspection.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor the service and information we receive about them. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.