Archived: The Lodge

The inspection took place on 23 October 2015 and was unannounced.

The service was registered in February 2014 and this was the first inspection.

The Lodge is a small residential home for people on the autistic spectrum, with learning and physical disabilities and sensory impairment. The service is registered to support six people and at the time of our inspection they were full.

The Lodge is a large property on a residential street. When it opened it was designed and renovated to meet people’s needs. It has six bedrooms each with an en-suite bathroom. There are several communal areas and the kitchen and dining room is open plan. There is a sensory room and a large secure garden to the rear.

The service had a registered manager. 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.

The registered manager was also the registered manager at another similar service within the organisation. The service had an additional manager, who had worked at there since March 2015. We were told the manager intended to apply to the CQC to take over the role of registered manager.

The service had experienced some challenges with staffing levels. Although they ensured there were sufficient staff to keep people safe there were times when staffing levels meant people could not attend planned activities.

People and their relatives told us they felt safe. The service had detailed risk assessments and risk management plans in place to protect people from avoidable harm. Medicines were safely managed. Staff were aware of how to protect people from harm and they knew about the possible types of abuse. The service had an up to date safeguarding and whistleblowing policy which provided staff with guidance.

Staff were supported to deliver effective care to people who used the service. Staff told us they felt well supported and had access to a range of training to support their development.

There were clear assessments about people’s ability to consent to care and make choices. Where people were unable to make their own decisions about their care needs we saw the service had recorded best interest decisions. These had involved the person, their families and any relevant health and social care professionals.

People had access to routine healthcare professionals and for people who needed more specialist health or social care support this had been arranged by the service.

The open plan kitchen and dining area meant people had access to food and drinks at times of their own choosing. Where possible, people were able to make their own drinks and snacks. The service ensured people had access to a varied and nutritious diet.

Support plans were person centred and provided staff with a sense of what was important to the person. They included people’s likes and dislikes, as well as information about people’s life before they moved into the service. There had been involvement of people and their families in planning and reviewing their support. People and their families knew how to make complaints. People who used the service were asked for their views on a regular basis.

The manager and provider completed audits to make sure they were providing a good service.

Staff morale was high and staff told us they felt well supported by the management team. There was a strong focus from the staff we spoke with about supporting people to live good lives.