Archived: Cumberworth Lodge Care Home

Updated 17 December 2016

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This unannounced inspection was carried out by an adult social care inspector and took place on 18 and 23 November 2016. At the time of our inspection visit there were 21 people living at the home.

Before the inspection we reviewed the information we held about the service including people’s feedback and notifications of significant events affecting the service. We looked at the Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the registered provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We sought feedback from the local authority safeguarding and quality performance teams together with the local Healthwatch and asked for their views and whether they had any concerns about the service. There were no concerns from any of these agencies.

During our inspection visit we observed how staff interacted with people who used the service and their relatives. We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI) in the communal areas of the service. SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experiences of people who could not talk with us.

We spoke with five people who used the service, three visiting relatives, three members of care staff, two senior care staff, the deputy manager and the acting manager for the service. Four community based health and social care professionals who we spoke with commented positively about the service.

We looked at care records belonging to three people who used the service, three staff records and a selection of documentation relating to the management and running of the service such as staff training, staff rotas, meeting minutes, maintenance records, recruitment information and quality assurance audits.

Updated 17 December 2016

Cumberworth Lodge provides accommodation for up to 26 older people who require accommodation and personal care, some of whom may be living with dementia. It is situated within a semi-rural location in the hamlet of Graizelound, which is close to the village of Haxey.

We undertook this unannounced inspection over two days, on the 18 and 23 November 2016. At the time of our inspection there were 21 people living in the service. The service was last inspected on 6 March 2015 when we identified a breach of Regulation 18 Care Quality Commission (Registration) Regulations 2009, because the service had not always sent in notifications about significant events affecting the health and welfare of people who used the service. This meant we were not able to monitor the service and take action if this was required. At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the service was no longer in breach of this regulation, because the registered provider had appropriately notified us about incidents in the home.

The service had a registered manager who had management oversight of the service on a daily basis. The service also had an acting manager who was in the process of submitting an application to have their skills and competencies formally assessed by the (CQC) for this position. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the CQC 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 who used the service told us they felt safe. The needs of people were assessed and staff provided with information on the management of potential risks, to ensure that people were protected from harm. Incidents and accidents were monitored by the service and action taken to minimise them from reoccurring. Staff had been recruited safely to ensure they were not included on an official list that barred them from working with vulnerable adults.

Safeguarding training had been provided to staff to ensure they knew how to recognise and report incidents of possible abuse. Staff were aware of their professional roles and responsibilities for raising whistleblowing concerns and had confidence in management action to ensure these were effectively followed up. The dependencies of people were regularly assessed to ensure there were sufficient staff available to meet their needs.

People received their medicines as prescribed and systems were in place to ensure their medicines were managed safely. Maintenance checks were regularly carried out to ensure that people’s environment and equipment was kept safe.

A range of training and development opportunities were provided to enable staff to safely carry out their roles and develop their careers. People who experienced difficulties with making informed decisions were supported by staff who received training about the Mental Capacity Act 2005. Systems were in place to make sure decisions made on people’s behalf were carried out in their best interests to ensure their legal and human rights were protected.

Staff told us they enjoyed their work and we observed they had developed strong relationships with people who used the service. Staff demonstrated a positive regard for the promotion and respect of people’s personal dignity and privacy, whilst involving them in making choices about their lives. Staff involved relevant health professionals when this was required, to ensure people’s medical needs were promoted. The fluid and nutritional needs of people were monitored well by staff and positive comments were received from community specialists about this.

People told us they were happy with the service and had no concerns. People were able to provide feedback and they were encouraged to be involved and help the service continually improve. Opportunities were provided for people participate in social activities and plans were in place to develop this aspect of the service. A complaints procedure was in place to enable people to raise concerns about the service and have these investigated and resolved whenever this was possible.

We found a positive culture existed in the home. Regular management checks were carried out to enable the quality of the service to be monitored and enable the identification of any changes needed, when this was required.