Homeside Lodge

Updated 21 December 2021

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

One inspector and an Expert by Experience carried out this inspection. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

This service provides care and support to people living in their own flats in an extra care setting.

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.

Notice of inspection

We gave the provider 24 hours' notice of the inspection. This was because we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we held about the service, including the notifications we had received from the provider. Notifications are changes, events or incidents the provider is legally obliged to send us within required timescales. 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 sought feedback from the local authority and a range of professionals who work with the service. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with four people who used the service in person. We telephoned three people who used the service and five relatives about their experience of the care provided.

We reviewed a range of records. This included three people's care records. We spoke with the registered manager, client services manager and a support worker.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We contacted six staff and seven health and social care professionals. We reviewed training information, policies, surveys, newsletters, and quality assurance records.

Updated 21 December 2021

About the service

Homeside Lodge provides care and support to people living in specialist ‘extra care’ housing. Extra care housing is purpose-built or adapted single household accommodation in a shared site or building. The accommodation is bought or rented and is the occupant’s own home. People’s care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. CQC does not regulate premises used for extra care housing; this inspection looked at people’s personal care and support service.

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

People felt comfortable, at home and were safeguarded from the risks of abuse by staff who understood their safeguarding responsibilities. Safeguarding policies and procedures were in place, whilst training was supported by ongoing competence assessments and regular items in staff meetings and newsletters.

The registered manager had made a number of changes to improve medicines safety. They and the provider closely monitored any errors and put in place strategies to continue to improve practice in this area. Reflecting on lessons learned was an established part of the culture.

COVID-19 protocols and risk assessments were in place and staff received appropriate training and ample PPE. The registered manager had acted on advice from infection prevention and control specialists.

People’s relatives were impressed with the dedication, competence and knowledge of staff, as were external professionals who had worked with them. People interacted comfortably with staff, who demonstrated a good knowledge of their preferences.

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.

Relatives told us staff were caring, kind and often went out of their way to ensure people felt safe and supported. People and their relatives were involved in the care planning and review process. Care plans were person-centred and people took a lead in compiling them where they wanted.

The culture was open and supportive. Agency usage was low as staff supported each other when there were unexpected absences. Staff felt their opinions were valued and they were engaged in the running of the service. People were actively encouraged to play a part in recruitment for example suggesting interview questions or joining the interview panel.

There were systems in place to assess, monitor and improve the quality of care being provided. These included checks and audits by on site staff, oversight by regional quality assurance staff, and person-led reviews of how people found their experience at Homeside Lodge.

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

Rating at last inspection

This service was registered on 10 June 2020 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on our approach to inspecting newly registered services.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our reinspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.