23 July 2014
During a routine inspection
The inspection was unannounced and took place on the 23 July 2014.
We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2012 and to pilot a new inspection process being introduced by CQC which looks at the overall quality of the service.
The last inspection took place on the 27 September 2013 when it was found to be meeting all the regulatory requirements looked at and which applied to this kind of home.
A registered manager was in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service and has the legal responsibility for meeting the requirements of the law; as does the provider.
Astbury Lodge Residential Care Home is a two-storey service that provides care for up to 41 older people including two 10 bedded households for people with dementia. The home is close to the local shops and other community facilities. On the day of our visit there were 41 people living in the home.
All the people we spoke to told us that they felt safe at Astbury Lodge Care Home. Comments included; “Very good here” and “It is fine”. Relatives that we spoke with told us they felt the service was safe and they had no concerns. Comments included; “We feel that [our relative] is safe”. The service had a range of policies and procedures which helped staff refer to good practice and included guidance on the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS).
People told us they were happy with the care and support they received and felt their needs were being met.
The relationships we saw were warm, respectful, dignified and with plenty of smiles and laughter. Everyone in the service looked relaxed and comfortable with the staff.
We saw that the on-going review of the risk assessments and care plans led to referrals to other services such as tissue viability and hospital visits in order to ensure people received the most appropriate care.
Staff members we spoke with said that the registered manager was very approachable. Throughout the inspection, we observed staff interacting with each other in a professional manner. The service had a robust quality assurance system in place with various checks and audit tools to show consistent good practices within the service.