Shakti Lodge

Shakti Lodge is a residential care home providing personal care to up to 26 people aged 65 and over some of whom were living with dementia. At the time of the inspection Shakti lodge was accommodating 17 people in one adapted building.

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

At the last inspection, we found that there were insufficient quality assurance processes and shortfalls in recording information. At this inspection these issues had been addressed.

The provider had quality assurance processes in place to monitor the quality of care. These systems identified if there were any shortfalls within the service and what actions had been taken to resolve the issues. However, actions taken were not always consistently implemented and therefore some issues remained unresolved. We have made a recommendation about this.

At the last inspection, we found that medicines were not always managed safely. At this inspection several issues had been addressed, however there were still some shortfalls. We found topical medicine administration records had not been completed and liquid medicines did not have dates when they had been opened. We have made a recommendation about this.

Since the last inspection, fire safety checks for 2019 and 2020 found several areas of improvement that were needed to maintain people’s safety. Actions had been taken by the provider, however there continued to be several issues with fire safety. We referred our findings onto Kent Fire and Rescue service (KFRS). Following the inspection, the operations manager gave assurances all fire safety works were met which was validated by an inspection from KFRS.

People told us they felt safe living at the service. Staff safeguarded people from potential abuse and felt confident any concerns raised about a person or their care, would be acted on by the management. There was a system for the recording and review of accidents and incidents and appropriate referrals for support from other professionals was sought where necessary.

Staff knew people’s personal risks and how best to support them safely. Positive risk taking was managed safely by the service to support people to be as independent as they wanted. 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.

There were enough staff employed by the service to meet people’s needs. The service appeared clean and tidy. Risk of infection was being prevented and controlled and COVID-19 risk management and safe practice guidance was being followed by the provider.

Feedback from people living at the service, relatives and staff was positive about the care and management. People appeared happy and engaged. Staff told us they felt valued and supported by the registered manager.

The provider was aware of their regulatory requirements and these were met. The registered manager worked in partnership with other agencies and health care professionals to achieve good outcomes for people.

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

Rating at last inspection and update

The last rating for this service was requires improvement (published 25 October 2019) and there were multiple breaches of regulation. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve.

At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations. The service remains rated requires improvement. This service has been rated requires improvement for the last two consecutive inspections.

Why we inspected

We carried out an unannounced comprehensive inspection of this service on 25 October 2019. Breaches of legal requirements were found. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve safe care and treatment and good governance.

We undertook this focused inspection to check they had followed their action plan and to confirm they now met legal requirements. This report only covers our findings in relation to the Key Questions Safe and Well-led which contain those requirements.

We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.

The ratings from the previous comprehensive inspection for those key questions not looked at on this occasion were used in calculating the overall rating at this inspection. The overall rating for the service remains requires improvement. This is based on the findings at this inspection.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Shakti Lodge on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

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.

Shakti Lodge is a residential care home providing personal and nursing care to 19 older people, some of whom were living with dementia. The service can support up to 26 people.

People’s experience of using this service:

People could not be assured that they would receive their medicines as prescribed. This was because there were insufficient checks to identify errors when they occurred so quick action could be taken to address them and keep people safe.

Checks on the quality of the service were not always effective in making the necessary improvements. Records about how much people drank, ate and when personal care was given, were not always accurate. Therefore, it could not be assured people at risk of poor hydration and nutrition were given sufficient amounts and people received personal care when they needed it.

People and their relative said staff knew them well and helped them to feel safe. There were enough staff available to support people when they needed. Checks on staff helped to ensure only staff who understood the values and aims of the service were employed.

Staff received ongoing training and support to ensure they had the necessary skills and knowledge to meet people’s individual needs. There were arrangements to make sure there were enough staff available to support people when they needed it.

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 had access to health care services in a timely manner and there was strong partnerships working with a range of health care professionals. Mealtimes were social occasions where people sat together.

Staff knew people well and caring relationships had been developed. People were given choices about how they would like to spend their time and there was a programme of activities.

Everyone said the service was well-led and that the registered manager was approachable. The views of people and their relatives were regularly sought and acted on.

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 17 February 2017). Since this rating was awarded the provider has altered its legal entity. We have used the previous rating to inform our planning and decisions about the rating at this inspection.

Why we inspected: This was a planned inspection based on the rating at 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.