Meyrick Lodge

Updated 19 December 2019

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. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

The inspection was conducted by one inspector.

Service and service type

Meyrick Lodge is a care home. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection. This service did not provide nursing care.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means 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 registered as manager for another local care home.

Notice of inspection

The first day of this inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since our last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. 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 of this information to plan our inspections.

During the inspection

We met with all of the five people who used the service, spoke to three of them and spent time observing and listening to how staff interacted with people. During the visit we spoke with the registered manager, the occupational therapist, two members of staff and a visiting professional.

We observed how people were supported and, to establish the quality of care people received we looked at records related to people’s care and support. This included two people’s care plans, care delivery records and all five people’s Medicine Administration Records. We also looked at records relating to the management of the service including: staffing rota’s, staff recruitment, supervision and training records, premises maintenance records, quality assurance records, training and staff meeting minutes and a range of the providers policies and procedures.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the registered manager to validate evidence found. We also spoke with three relatives and obtained written feedback from four health care professionals on their views of the service.

Updated 19 December 2019

About the service

Meyrick Lodge is a care home registered to provide accommodation and personal care for up to six people diagnosed with learning disabilities. At the time of this inspection there were five people living at the home.

The service has been developed and designed in line with the values that underpin the Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. This ensures that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes. The principles reflect the need for people with learning disabilities and/or autism to live meaningful lives that include control, choice, and independence. People using the service receive planned and co-ordinated person-centred support that is appropriate and inclusive of them.

People’s experience of using the service and what we found

There was a relaxed, happy and welcoming atmosphere at Meyrick Lodge. People were supported by staff who knew them very well and provided kind, caring person-centred care and support. People were treated with dignity and respect that valued them individually. People told us they enjoyed living at Meyrick Lodge and they liked the staff and people who lived in the home.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives, with staff providing support in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People led active lives, supported by staff to take part in a variety of activities, hobbies and voluntary work that they enjoyed and that maintained their independence.

We received positive feedback from relatives about the kindness, compassion and professionalism of staff. Staff understood how to identify, and report abuse and were well supported in their roles. Staff received regular supervision meetings and a variety of training courses to enable them to carry out their roles competently.

There was a clear management structure and people, relatives and staff spoke highly of the registered manager who ensured there was an open, supportive, friendly culture at the home. There was a strong ethos and culture of delivering personalised care and support to people.

The service was safe. Risks to people’s health, safety and well being were assessed and management plans put in place to ensure risks were reduced as much as possible, whilst providing positive risk taking support for people.

People were supported by safely recruited staff and there were enough appropriately trained and experienced staff to support people in ways that suited them. Communication styles and methods were tailored to individual people and staff supported people to understand the choices available to them.

The service worked collaboratively and closely with health care professionals to ensure people received the best care and support at all times. Staff were responsive to people’s changing support needs and adapted care and support according to their health needs.

People’s health care needs were met, and staff supported them to see healthcare professionals when appropriate. Medicines were managed, stored and administered safely. People were supported to take their medicines safely by staff who had received the appropriate levels of training.

There was a clear complaints policy and relatives told us they knew how to make a complaint if the needed to and felt any concerns would be taken seriously and action taken straight away.

There were established quality assurance systems in place to drive improvement and ensure the home offered a safe, effective, caring and responsive service.

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was good, (published May 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.