Archived: Springfield Lodge Care Home

The people that we spoke with told us that Springfield Lodge is a good place to live, and that staff treated them with respect and kindness.

People’s health and social care needs were identified and managed well by the management and staff team. There were positive relationships with professional teams, which supported people’s wellbeing.

The environment was safe, clean and suitable for people’s needs. Staff were well trained to use any equipment necessary to support people to maintain their independence. The home was situated within a well maintained garden area, and with good access to the local community for people.

People were supported to take their medicines by well trained and knowledgeable staff, who understood their preferences of how they wished to take them.

People received enough to eat and drink, and were involved in choices about what they wished to eat. The lunchtime experience was relaxed and people were given a choice about what time they wished to eat and were involved in setting out the dining room.

People were supported by sufficient staff, and the registered manager ensured that the staff were trained in all areas that were deemed necessary, in order to support people’s needs effectively.

The management team showed evidence of ongoing quality monitoring across all aspects of the home. Any concerns or suggestions for improvement which were raised by residents, their families or staff were addressed.

The management team had robust action plans in place for keeping people safe and providing a well led service. Documentation in care plans was clear, person centred and regularly reviewed with the person and their family or advocate if appropriate.

Rating at last inspection: Good (report published 3 June 2016)

About the service: Springfield Lodge Care Home offers accommodation and support with personal care for up to 13 people. On the day of our inspection there were 13 people using the service.

The home is located in a quiet residential area and is close to a good selection of local amenities.

Why we inspected: This was a planned inspection based on the rating at the last inspection. The service remained rated Good overall.

Follow up: We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received we may inspect sooner.

The service is managed by the registered provider, so does not require a registered manager. Registered providers are ‘registered persons’ who have a legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

People were supported by staff who knew how to recognise abuse and how to respond to concerns. Risks in relation to people’s daily life were assessed and planned for to protect them from harm.

People were supported by enough staff to ensure they received care and support when they needed it. Medicines were managed safely and people received their medicines as prescribed.

People were supported by staff who had the knowledge and skills to provide safe and appropriate care and support. People were supported to make decisions and staff knew how to act if people did not have the capacity to make decisions.

People were supported to maintain their nutrition and staff were monitoring and responding to people’s health conditions.

People lived in a service where staff listened to them. People’s emotional needs were recognised and responded to by a staff team who cared about the individual they were supporting. People were supported to follow their hobbies and interests.

People were involved in giving their views on how the service was run and there were systems in place to monitor and improve the quality of the service provided.

Below is a summary of what we found. The summary describes what we observed, the records we looked at and what people using the service, their relatives and the staff told us.

If you want to see the evidence that supports our summary please read the full report.

Is the service safe?

Medication was ordered, stored, administered, recorded and disposed of safely.

Accurate records about people's care were being maintained. Records were stored securely and could be located promptly when required.

Is the service effective?

We looked at the care plans of two people who were using the service. A care plan provides information about people's needs and how staff should meet those needs. We saw that staff provided the support people needed.

The service had recently undertaken some training with the local district nursing team in the provision of pressure area care. Guidance provided to the service had been taken into account by staff in the care they provided to people. The district nursing team also visited people in the home who were under their care. This meant that the service worked with other providers to ensure continuity of care and treatment.

Is the service caring?

We spoke with five people who were using the service and asked if they were happy with the care and support they received. One person said, 'The staff here are really nice, I feel they treat me with respect. I get what I need.' Another person told us, 'The staff are all nice. I have settled in here well.'

Is the service responsive?

Staff responded to any requests for support in a timely manner. For example when people required assistance to use the toilet this was provided quickly. People required different levels of support and encouragement to eat their meals at lunch time. We saw that people received the support they needed in a calm and unhurried manner.

The manager told us that should a person require emergency hospital treatment, a member of staff would accompany the person. Relevant records relating to the person would also be taken to the hospital to help facilitate a smooth transfer of care.

Is the service well-led?

We spoke with five people who were using the service and asked if they were able to provide feedback about the service. One person said, 'Yes I completed the last survey. I would talk to anyone if I wasn't happy.' Another person told us, 'I enjoy the residents' meetings, they ask us for ideas.'

There were regular meetings for staff to attend which were advertised in advance. We saw that the staff meetings were well attended and the records of the meetings were made available to all staff. The records showed that staff had the opportunity to contribute their thoughts as well as receiving information from the manager.

A range of audits were being completed by the manager to assess the quality of the service being provided. For example a regular medication audit was carried out which looked at different aspects of staff practice. We saw that, where any issues had been identified, the required action had been recorded and carried out.

A relative told us “Staff made the place very homely, they take pride in the meals and rooms are personalised with photographs.”

One relative said the decoration was in need of updating in areas including their relative’s bedroom.

Another relative told us their relative was supported to be independent.

People using the service told us they were happy with the service and spoke highly about staff.

We found there were effective multi-disciplinary review processes in place involving staff from the home and health specialists who were able to advise staff at the home on the health and welfare of people using the service.

The staff we spoke with were aware of their responsibilities for protecting people against the risk of abuse and had received appropriate training which meant they knew how to safeguard against the risks.

The service sought relatives’ views about the service though a satisfaction survey. The results were analysed and used to manage service quality.

We looked at the care plans of two people who were using the service. The care plans were person centred and listed important information about people, such as their care needs, likes and dislikes. Care plans gave clear guidance to staff in how to support each person with their individual needs.

We spoke with three people who were using the service who told us they liked the food that was available to them. We were told, 'I had chicken pie today, it was lovely and just the right amount.'

We spoke with three people who were using the service who told us they felt the home was kept very clean. People's comments included, 'The cleaner is in my room every day cleaning and changing the sheets. The home always smells lovely and fresh.' and 'There is a cleaner every day, they've just been in here and made sure everything is nice for me.'

The provider may find it useful to note that some people who required support to access the local community felt they did not always receive this at the time they would like. It was acknowledged that this support was provided but that sometimes they would have to wait.