Stratfield Lodge Residential Home

Stratfield Lodge Residential Home is a care home without nursing registered to provide accommodation and personal care for up to 17 people with diverse and complex support needs. At the time of our inspection 17 people were living there.

People’s experience of using this service:

People told us they felt safe. They were relaxed and familiar with the staff and each other. People were cared for by a consistent staff team who had received appropriate training to carry out their roles. Staff spoke knowledgably about the systems in place to safeguard people from abuse.

The service was working within the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. People were supported to have maximum choice and control over 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’s dietary needs and preferences were assessed and where needed, where people received support to eat and drink. This was provided in a kind, discreet and friendly way. Meal times were an important social event in the day for those who chose to eat together. People told us they enjoyed their meals; one person said, “I really enjoyed that ice cream.”

People’s medicines were managed safely, stored securely and administered by trained staff. People received assistance to take their medicines as prescribed and were supported to access health care services.

People received care from staff that knew them well and treated them with kindness, compassion, respect and dignity. People's care was tailored to their individual needs and maintained their independence as much as possible. Care plans were comprehensive, person centred, respectful, and reviewed regularly to ensure they reflected people’s needs.

The provider had robust recruitment systems to ensure staff were safely recruited. Staff received regular supervision and annual appraisals to ensure they were fully supported in their role. There was an effective training programme that staff felt was interesting and well delivered.

The service had a full and varied activity programme for people to enjoy if they wished. Activities included outings to places of interest, and towns as well as indoor activities. People had one-to-one support to take part in activities to prevent social isolation.

People and their relatives knew how to complain and were confident their views would be heard.

No people were receiving end of life care at the time of our inspection visit. Staff spoke knowledgably about end of life care and were proud of the care they could provide to people at this time of their lives.

There was a robust system of ongoing monitoring through audits and spot checks to review the quality of the service provided.

People, relatives, staff and health professionals expressed confidence in the management team and felt the service had a clear management structure and an open and supportive culture.

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 (report published in December 2016).

Why we inspected:

This was a planned inspection based on the rating from the last inspection.

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.

The service had a registered manager at the time of inspection. 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.

People felt safe and well cared for. They were protected from harm because staff understood how to reduce the risks people faced. They also knew how to identify and respond to abuse and told us they would be confident to do so.

People had support and care when they needed it from staff who had been safely recruited and understood their needs. Staff were consistent in their knowledge of people’s care needs and spoke confidently about the support people required to meet these needs. They told us they felt supported in their roles and had undertaken training that provided them with the necessary knowledge and skills. Staff were cheerful and treated people and visitors with respect and kindness throughout our inspection.

People saw health care professionals when necessary. Records and feedback from a healthcare professional reflected that staff responded appropriately to both on going healthcare needs and health emergencies. People received their medicines as they were prescribed.

Staff understood how people consented to the care they provided and encouraged people to make decisions about their lives. Care plans and practice reflected the framework of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards had been applied for where people needed to live in the home to be cared for safely but did not have the mental capacity to consent to this.

People were engaged with activities that reflected their preferences, including individual and group activities both within Stratfield Lodge and the local area.

Everyone described the food as good and there were systems in place to ensure people had enough to eat and drink. Where people needed particular diets or support to eat and drink safely this was in place.

Quality assurance had led to improvements being made and people, relatives and staff were invited to contribute their views to this process. Staff, people and professionals spoke positively about the management and staff team as a whole.