Archived: Manor Lodge

Updated 5 September 2019

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

The inspection was carried out by one adult social care inspector and an Expert by Experience. 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

Manor Lodge is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

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.

What we did:

Before the inspection, we reviewed relevant information we had about the service, including any notifications of safeguarding or incidents affecting the safety and wellbeing of people. A notification is information about important events, which the provider is required to tell us about by law. We checked the last inspection report and contacted the local authority for information.

The service completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). A PIR is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what it does well and any improvements they plan to make.

During the inspection, we spoke with eight people living at the home, five relatives, five staff members, the registered manager and the provider. Some people using the service were living with dementia or illnesses that limited their ability to communicate and tell us about their experience of living at Manor Lodge. We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not speak with us and share their experience fully.

We also gathered positive feedback from six health professionals. We reviewed two people’s care records, including assessments, staff files, records of falls and complaints, audits and quality assurance reports.

Updated 5 September 2019

Manor Lodge is a residential care home providing personal care for up to 38 people aged 65 and over. During our inspection, 32 people were living at the home.

People’s experience of using this service:

People were positive about their experience of living at the home. For example, a person said, “I can’t praise them enough. I haven’t found anywhere that can hold a candle to this one. It’s five star and I am lucky to be here.” A relative described their experience of researching care homes in the areas, ““We looked around about five homes in Exmouth. We felt this one has a nice feeling. The whole environment, and nice gardens.”

People were cared for by a registered manager and staff team that were committed, compassionate and knowledgeable. Staff actively encouraged people to express their views and be involved in changes to the service, such as alterations to the decor.

People received personalised care and support specific to their needs and preferences. Care staff conversations with people showed they knew people well and what topics would interest them.

People were encouraged to live a full and meaningful life. Engagement in activities and networks outside of the service was an important part of people's lives, including raising money for charity.

Staff provided emotional support to people, their families and friends. Staff took seriously their responsibility to make people feel safe and pain free at the end of their life. Staff spoke enthusiastically and passionately about how they provided people with high quality, person-centred care. They were skilled at recognising when people were feeling vulnerable, needed reassurance and empathy.

People's wishes, suggestions and concerns were listened to, respected, and acted on. People were supported by staff who respected their privacy and dignity. Their nutritional needs were met, and people praised the quality of the food.

Assessments identified when people could be at risk. They covered people's physical and mental health needs and the environment they lived in. People were protected from abuse because staff understood their safeguarding responsibilities. People were supported by staff who completed appropriate training and understood their needs.

Care staff were recruited to suit the caring values of the service and recognised the importance of team work to provide consistent and safe care. Staff spoke confidently about the care they delivered and affectionately about the people they supported. They understood how they contributed to both people’s physical health and mental wellbeing.

Referrals were made in a timely manner to health care services when people’s needs changed. People were supported to maintain good health and had access to appropriate services, which ensured they received on-going healthcare support. Medicine administration, recording and auditing was safe.

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 reflected this practice. Information was in place to ensure people’s legal rights were protected.

The management team, through regular reviews and observations of staff practice, showed a commitment for people to receive a good quality service. Feedback from people using the service and quality assurance records showed this had been achieved.

Rating at last inspection (and update):

The last rating for this service was Good (published 17 July 2017). At this inspection, the rating remained the same.

Why we inspected: This inspection was scheduled for follow up based on the last report rating.

Follow up: We will continue to monitor the intelligence we receive about the service. If any concerning information is received, we may inspect sooner.

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