24 May 2017
During a routine inspection
Elm Lodge is a care home providing nursing and personal care for up to 75 older people, some living with the experience of dementia. The service had a registered manager. 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.
The provider had systems in place to safeguard people using the service. Staff understood and followed the provider’s procedures if they had concerns about people.
There were enough staff to provide care and support and the provider’s recruitment checks were designed to ensure the staff were suitable to work at the service.
Staff assessed possible risks to people using the service and took action to mitigate risks they identified.
The provider had assessed people’s capacity to consent to the care and treatment they received and staff made sure people consented to their care as it was offered. Where people lacked the capacity to make specific decisions the provider had acted in the person’s best interest and had consulted with those who were important to the person.
The staff received the training, supervision and support they needed to care for people safely and meet their needs.
People’s nutritional needs were met and staff worked with the GP and other healthcare professionals to make sure people’s healthcare needs were met. People received their medicines safely and as prescribed.
People who used the service and the relatives we spoke with all felt the staff were kind and genuinely cared about them or their family members.
Staff we spoke with could explain how they provided compassionate care and support for people. They spoke passionately and caringly about the people they supported and showed a genuine warmth and empathy for each person using the service.
The registered manager was able to give us examples where the care they provided in the service had made a difference to people’s lives.
Staff cared for and supported people in ways people wanted. People’s preferences and personal wishes were recorded in their care plans. People had access to a range of organised activities.
The provider had systems for managing and responding to complaints they received.
The service had a qualified and experienced manager. People living at the service, staff and visitors told us they found the manager approachable and said they felt the service was well managed.
The provider carried out a number of different audits and checks which enabled the manager and staff to monitor the quality of the service and make improvements. Records were well maintained, accurate and up to date.