Background to this inspection
Updated
3 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
This inspection was carried out by two inspectors.
Service and service type
Albion Lodge is a 'care home'. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. The Care Quality Commission (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 CQC. 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. The registered manager was also the nominated individual (the nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider).
Notice of inspection
This inspection was unannounced.
What we did before the inspection
We looked at the information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority, professionals who work with the service and Healthwatch. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England. 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. We used all this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We spent time with people and spoke with seven people who lived at the home and three relatives about their experience of the care provided. We also we spent time with people in the communal areas of the home and we saw how staff supported people.
We met and talked with the management team which included the registered manager and care manager. We also spoke three care staff and the cook.
We looked at a range of records. This included sampling two people's care documentation and multiple medication records to see how their care and treatment was planned and delivered. We checked staff arrangements which included whether staff were trained to provide care and support appropriate to each person's needs. We looked at the results of the registered manager and care manager’s quality monitoring checks to see what actions were taken and planned to continually improve the quality of care and people's experiences.
Updated
3 April 2020
About the service
Albion Lodge is a residential care home providing personal care to 34 people aged 65 and over at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to 40 people.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People were happy with the standard of care and support they received. There were enough staff to support people's care and safety needs. Risks to people had been identified and care was planned to keep people safe while assisting people to continue with their chosen lifestyles.
People's medicines were managed and administered following guidelines and best practice, so people’s safety was promoted. Staff had received training in infection control and knew how to work to reduce the risk of infection and the home environment was well maintained to meet the needs of people living there.
The provider's recruitment and induction arrangements helped ensure new staff were able to support people. There was a good team spirit amongst the staff team who cared about each other and what mattered to people who lived at the home. Staff were well trained and valued the support provided to assist them in their roles.
Staff supported people to make their own choices and decisions in how they were supported. 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.
People enjoyed spending time in their rooms and other places in the home including the library and garden area. The registered manager was keen to make continual improvements to the home environment, so it brought people as much enjoyment as possible and furniture continued to meet people’s needs.
People were supported by staff who had positive attitudes towards their caring roles and provided compassionate care. Staff had developed positive relationships with people and were mindful of people’s diverse needs and customs which were respected. People’s independence, dignity and privacy were valued and maintained by staff.
People had been involved in planning their care and were confident to raise any issues they had with the management and staff team. Care planning was personalised to provide staff with guidance about people's likes and dislikes. People were supported emotionally and physically with a range of things to do for fun and interest which included singing and trips to places of interest. People were supported to be comfortable and pain free at the end of their lives.
People, relatives and staff were encouraged to raise issues around quality and safety at regular meetings. The registered manager was supported by the care manager and staff team. There were ongoing quality checking arrangements in place to support the continuation of improvements where required.
The registered manager promoted the visions and values of the service by embedding an open and inclusive culture where people were at the heart of everything.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection
The last rating for this service was good (published 05 September 2017).
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.