18 April 2023
During a routine inspection
Furze Hill Lodge is a residential care home providing accommodation and personal care for up to 29 people. The service provides support to people who are living with dementia, or people requiring support with their physical health conditions. Everyone lives in one adapted building, set over 3 floors. There was a communal dining area, lounge and conservatory for people’s use, as well as a large level garden. At the time of our inspection there were 16 people using the service.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People and their relatives told us they felt Furze Hill Lodge was safe place to live. Staff demonstrated a good understanding of safeguarding procedures. Records confirmed that concerns raised were appropriately reported and investigated. Risks to people’s safety and well-being were managed well and accidents and incidents were reviewed to minimise the risk of them happening again. People were supported by sufficient staff who received the training they required to support them in their roles.
People were supported with their health care needs and staff were aware of the need to report any changes or concerns. Positive relationships had been developed with health and social care professionals. Robust medicines systems were in place which ensured people received their medicines in line with their prescriptions.
People and their relatives were involved in developing their care plans and felt their views and opinions were listened to. 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. Choices were provided to people wherever possible, and people’s preferences were known and respected.
Staff had developed positive relationships with people and were caring in their approach. Staff enjoyed spending time with people socially and there was a good range of personalised activities available. People were encouraged to maintain their independence and felt their dignity and privacy was respected.
A positive culture had developed in the home and people and staff felt respected and valued. There was an open and transparent approach to any concerns from the management team which was also reflected in the way staff members approached their roles. The registered manager was committed to continuous improvement of the service and quality assurance systems were used to monitor progress.
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 requires improvement (report published 16 August 2021) and there were breaches of regulation. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve. At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.
At our last inspection we recommended that the provider explore ways for people to be fully in involved in the reviews of their care. At this inspection we found the provider had acted on our recommendations.
Why we inspected
This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service and to follow up on the shortfalls we found at our last inspection.
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.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.