• Care Home
  • Care home

Aspen Lodge Care Home

Overall: Requires improvement read more about inspection ratings

222 Weston Lane, Southampton, Hampshire, SO19 9HL (023) 8042 1154

Provided and run by:
Aspen Care Limited

Important:

We served a warning notice on Aspen Care Limited on 29/02/2024 for failing to meet the regulation relating to good governance at Aspen Lodge Care Home.

All Inspections

During an assessment under our new approach

This assessment took place between 7 February and 5 March 2024. We looked at the following quality statements as part of the assessment, Safe and effective staffing, Treating people as individuals, Safe environments, Supporting people to manage risk, Governance management and sustainability and Safeguarding. Aspen Lodge Care Home is a care home that provides accommodation and personal care for up to 20 people. The service specialises in providing care for older adults. During this assessment we looked at parts of 2 key questions, safe and well led. We identified breaches in regulations of The Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. The overall rating for this service combines scoring from the key questions we looked at during this assessment and key question scores in line with findings from our last inspection, where the service was rated good. The provider did not have effective governance systems in place to monitor and improve the quality of care and safety of the service. Auditing and quality assurance processes did not always identify issues or where improvements were needed. The provider did not have safe or robust processes in place to reduce risks related to the care home environment or risks related to people’s care. There were significant shortfalls in the number of staff who had received up to date training in key areas, such as safeguarding. The provider ensured staffing levels were in line with people’s assessed needs, which meant that people were attended to in good time when they required support. The provider did not have effective systems in place to identify, record and report safeguarding concerns to relevant authorities. The provider did not always ensure their processes were fully in line with The Mental Capacity Act 2005 when people lacked capacity to make decisions about their care. People were treated as individuals by staff, who knew their preferences and needs.

10 July 2018

During a routine inspection

Aspen Lodge is a residential care home for 20 people with a range of needs including people living with dementia and mental health needs. The service is arranged over two floors and at the time of the inspection there were 17 people living in the home.

This inspection took place on 10 and 11 July 2018. The inspection was unannounced, this meant the staff and provider did not know we would be visiting.

At our last inspection in December 2016 we rated the service good. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. The inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

People who use the service were kept safe by a service that maintained safe premises and equipment. Staff took steps to reduce risks to people and understood their responsibilities to protect people from abuse. Medicines were managed safely and people were protected from the risk of infection. People's needs were met by appropriate levels of suitable staff.

People received effective care which met their needs. People had access to services to support their health and wellbeing. People's nutrition and hydration needs were met and people told us the food was "very good". People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible.

We made a recommendation for the service to improve the physical environment for people living with dementia.

Staff were caring, compassionate and kind to people and protected their privacy and dignity. Staff were passionate about providing high quality care. People told us they were treated with respect.

People received care which was responsive to their needs. Staff knew the people they supported including their personal histories and preferences and provided individualised care.

We made a recommendation for the service to seek guidance to improve end of life care plans for people using the service.

Staff, people and relatives fed back positively about the registered managers and the support they received. The service had strong values to provide a "home from home" and recruited staff based on their caring nature. There had been an improvement in submission of statutory notifications since the last inspection.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

12 November 2016

During an inspection looking at part of the service

We carried out a focused inspection on 12 and 15 November 2016 in response to concerning information about staff and management of the home. This report only covers our findings in relation to the key questions, ‘Is the service safe?’ and ‘Is the service well-led?’

Aspen Lodge Care Home provides accommodation and care for up to 20 older people with mental health needs or people living with dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 17 people living at the home.

The home had a registered manager who had been registered since November 2010. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission 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 and their relatives told us they felt safe living at the home. Staff had received training in safeguarding adults and knew how to identify, prevent and report abuse.

There were enough staff to keep people safe and people were treated with kindness and respect.

People liked living at the home and felt it was well-led. There was an open and transparent culture. Staff and people told us they were encouraged to talk to the manager about any concerns.

26 November & 01 & 07 December 2015

During a routine inspection

This Inspection took place on 26 November and 01 & 07 December 2015 and was unannounced. Aspen Lodge Care Home provides accommodation and care for up to 20 older people with mental health needs or people living with dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 17 people living at the home.

The home had a registered manager who had been registered since November 2010. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission 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.

We found safety was compromised in one area. There was no hand washing sink available in the laundry for staff to wash their hands. However staff were aware of the procedures to follow to reduce the risk of cross infection.

People felt safe. Staff had received training in safeguarding adults and knew how to identify, prevent and report abuse. However incidents of potential conflict between people were not audited effectively so the home did not learn from these incidents. The registered manager had not informed us of four incidents where a person had physical altercations with other people living at the home.

Staff sought consent from people before providing care or support. The ability of people to make decisions was assessed in line with legal requirements to ensure their liberty was not restricted unlawfully. However there was some confusion over three people’s Deprivation of Liberty safeguarding authorisation in place.

Risk assessments had been completed for the environment and safety checks were conducted regularly of gas and electrical equipment.

People were supported to receive their medicines safely from suitably trained staff and these were stored, administered and audited effectively. There were enough staff to meet people’s needs and people were attended too quickly. Relevant checks were conducted before staff started working at Aspen Lodge to make sure staff were of good character and had the necessary skills. Staff received regular training and support where they could discuss their training and development needs.

People received varied and nutritious meals including a choice of fresh food and drinks. Staff were aware of people’s likes and dislikes and offered alternatives if people did not want the menu of the day.

People were cared for with kindness, compassion and sensitivity. We observed positive interactions between people and staff.

People and their families were involved in assessing, planning and agreeing the care and support they received. People were encouraged to remain as independent as possible. Their privacy and dignity was protected.

Care plans provided comprehensive information about how people wished to receive care and support. This helped ensure people received personalised care in a way that met their individual needs.

People were supported and encouraged to make choices and had access to a wide range of activities tailored to their specific interests. ‘Residents meetings’ and surveys allowed people to provide feedback, which was used to improve the service.

People liked living at the home and felt it was well-led. There was an open and transparent culture with people able to access the community as part of their daily activities. There were appropriate management arrangements in place and staff and people told us they were encouraged to talk to the manager about any concerns.

We identified one breach of the Care Quality Commission (Registration) Regulations 2009. You can see what action we have told the provider to take at the back of the full version of the report.

20 November 2013

During an inspection in response to concerns

During the inspection to help us understand people's experiences of the service we spoke with seven people and their relatives. We also spoke with five staff, the manager and the provider. People told us they were happy living at the home and the staff looked after them well. People were treated with respect and staff were courteous when attending to people. A person told us the staff 'always ask me before they do anything'. Another person told us 'they treat you very well.'

The relatives were complimentary about the care and support the staff provided. A relative commented 'staff are fantastic'. Another comment was 'excellent place'. Another relative commented 'we are very happy for mum to be here'. They told us the home was always clean and staff 'very welcoming'.

Care plans were detailed and reflected people's needs. Staff were aware of their responsibilities to safeguard people and report any poor practices. The environment was clean and well maintained. Medicines were managed appropriately. There was a management structure that looked at staffing to ensure there were adequate staff to meet people's needs

9 May 2013

During a routine inspection

During our visit we observed how people spent their time, the support they received from the staff and whether they had positive outcomes. We spoke with eight people and observed the support other people were receiving. We found people were treated with respect and interacted well with the staff and each other. We also spoke with a visitor, visiting health care professionals and the staff.

People told us they were treated 'very well', the staff were 'marvellous'. They said the staff offered them choices with the activity of daily living. A person said 'I get up when I am ready'. Another person said they were always up early and received support as needed. They told us they had choices and the meals were 'very good and plenty to eat and drink'. People told us they received care from staff who were "very good and very kind".

A healthcare professional told us people received a high standard of care, the staff were knowledgeable and supportive of people's needs. A visitor said the staff were very welcoming and they were pleased with the care their relative was receiving. They said the home was very nice and clean. We observed the staff were friendly, respectful and courteous when speaking and attending to people.

People had access to healthcare professionals and treatment as needed. There was a recruitment process that was followed and staff checks were completed. People were supported to raise their concerns and these were responded to appropriately.

20 June 2012

During a routine inspection

We spoke with six people who were living at the home. To help us to understand the experiences of people, we spent time observing what was going on in the home. We observed how people spent their time, the support they received from staff and whether they had positive outcomes. We also spoke to a relative and four of the staff.

We observed interactions between the staff and people who use the service. People told us that they were treated with respect and that the staff were very good and that they felt safe living at the home. They said they were well looked after and enjoyed the activities and the meals. A person said, "We can choose what we would like to eat. The food is very good.'

Another person told us that there was particular food that they were unable to eat and was provided with an alternative. A relative told us that they visited the home a few times a week and found the care good and the staff were courteous. We were told that they would approach the manager or the provider if they had any concerns about the care.

10 May 2011

During a routine inspection

People told us they are involved in the running of the home and are able to participate in some of the daily tasks of running the home. We were advised people's opinions are listened to. People felt they were well cared for by hard working staff who were always available when they needed them. People enjoyed their meals and told us they always had a choice. People told us their home was kept clean and their personal laundry was well looked after. People advised us they had no complaints, but if they did they would talk to the manager.