Herald Lodge

Updated 25 April 2020

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

There were two inspectors in the inspection team.

Service and service type

Herald Lodge Care Home is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided. At the time of the inspection the registered manager was absent from the home due to illness. A care manager was in charge and regional manager available for support to the care manager to run the home.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections.

During the inspection

We spoke with five people who used the service and five relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with eight members of staff including the regional manager, manager, assistant manager, senior care workers, care workers and the activities co-ordinator. We also spoke with two visiting healthcare professionals. We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us.

We reviewed a range of records. This included two people’s care records and multiple medication records. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

Updated 25 April 2020

About the service

Herald Lodge care home provide support to older people and older people living with dementia. The home compromises two floors. The service accommodates a maximum of 42 people. The time of the inspection there were 38 people living at the home.

People were happy and felt safe living at the home. Staff understood how to keep people safe. Systems and training ensured concerns were raised and escalated where appropriate. People were supported by sufficient staff in a prompt and unrushed manner. Staff understood the equipment needed to support people and the risks people lived with. Systems were in place to check the background of potential staff to ensure their suitability to work in the home. People received support with their medicines. The home was clean and odour free.

People felt confident around staff who had received training to support them and who knew their needs. People were offered choices in the food and drinks provided to them. Additional support from medical professionals was sought and provided where appropriate. 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.

People and their families thought staff were caring. Staff were encouraged to make people feel welcome and part of an inclusive environment. Staff understood the importance of supporting people to maintain their dignity and to promote independence. People’s individual choices and lifestyles were celebrated.

People and their families reviewed and updated their care needs as appropriate. Staff worked with people to identify interests and help promote them. People felt assured that any complaints they had would be responded to.

People and staff felt the atmosphere at the home was welcoming and open. People and their families felt assured they could speak to management team and have any queries resolved. Care delivered at the home was monitored to ensure it met the registered providers expectations.

The last rating for this service was Good (30 August 2017).

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk