Chandos Lodge

Updated 27 February 2018

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 is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This inspection took place on 25 January 2018 and was unannounced. The inspection team consisted of one inspector.

We used information the provider sent us in the Provider Information Return. This is information we require providers to send us at least once annually to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

As part of the inspection we looked at the information we held about the service provided at the home. This included statutory notifications. Statutory notifications include important events and occurrences such as accidents and serious injury which the provider is required to send us by law.

We sought information about the service from the local authority and Healthwatch. The local authority has responsibility for funding people who used the service and monitoring its quality. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion, which promotes the views and experiences of people who use health and social care.

We spoke with six people who lived at the home and one relative. We looked at how staff supported people throughout the time we were at the home. As part of our observations we used the Short Observational Framework for Inspections (SOFI). SOFI is a way of observing people who may not always be able to voice their opinions of the quality of service provided.

We spoke with the manager, the operations manager, the activities co-ordinator and four members of staff. We looked at the records relating to two people who lived at the home. We also looked at people's medicine records. We spent time with a staff member during their medicine round and looked at how medicines were administered, stored and disposed of. We also looked at four recruitment records, complaints and compliments records and quality audits completed by staff.

Updated 27 February 2018

Chandos Lodge is a residential care home for 34 older people who may have a diagnosis of dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 27 people living at the home.

At the last inspection in November 2015 the service was rated Good. At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

People were supported to make safe choices in relation to taking risks in their day to day lives which helped people to maintain their own levels of independence. This was because staff made sure people had the equipment and aids they required to meet their needs. Staff had been trained and understood how to support people in a way which protected them from harm and abuse. There were arrangements in place to make sure staff were trained and competent in medicine administration which reduced risks to people’s safety and welfare.

Staff received regular training including dementia training, so they had the knowledge and skills to meet people's needs in an effective and personalised way.

People had regularly seen a variety of health professionals to maintain their independence, health and wellbeing.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. Staff demonstrated their understanding of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and its relation to protecting people who used the service from unlawful restrictions. Records confirmed consent was sought for a variety of decisions in relation to the care people received. This confirmed people who used the service or their relatives had been consulted about and agreed to the care they received.

People who lived at the home and their relatives worked in partnership with staff to plan their care. Care records were personalised and contained detailed information about what was important to people. There was a caring, kind, staff team who knew and respected people as individuals and provided care which put people at the heart of all the care offered.

Staff treated people with dignity and respect and understood the need for people’s privacy and confidentiality.

People had access and assistance to follow their chosen religious activities.

People told us they enjoyed the food served and the dining experience offered. Staff were aware of people’s dietary needs, to help them stay well.

People were encouraged to follow their individual interests and suggest what entertainment they would like at the home.

The manager and the provider actively sought people’s opinions about the home and activities offered to enhance people’s wellbeing. People knew how to raise any concerns or complaints were managed in line with the provider’s complaints policy and brought to a satisfactory conclusion.

Regular quality audits had been performed to identify improvements and help maintain a quality service.