The Care Quality Commission
  • Services in your home
  • Homecare service

Archived: Sutton Lodge Home Support

Overall: Requires improvement read more about inspection ratings

Sea Home, Sea Lane, Sandilands, Mablethorpe, Lincolnshire, LN12 2RA (01507) 441800

Provided and run by:
Mrs Linda Anne Croudace

All Inspections

29 April 2015

During a routine inspection

The inspection took place on 29 April 2015 and was announced.

The provider was given 48 hours notice because the location provides a domiciliary care service and we wanted to be sure that someone would be in.

Sutton Lodge Home Support is a community based adult social care support service registered to provide personal care to people living in their own home. There were 32 care staff employed to deliver care to 74 people.

The service was managed by the registered provider. Registered providers are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have the legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

The Care Quality Commission is required by law to monitor how a provider applies the Mental Capacity Act, 2005 and to report on what we find.People who lacked capacity to make a decision were supported by staff who acted in their best interests.

Staff understood safeguarding issues and knew how to recognise and report any concerns in order to keep people safe from harm. However, the registered provider did not always undertake safe staff recruitment checks before staff were appointed to their role. People felt supported to take their medicines safely by staff who were competent to monitor them.

People were cared for by staff who were supported to undertake training to improve their knowledge and skills to perform their roles and responsibilities. People had their healthcare needs identified and were able to access health and social care professionals such as their GP and social worker. Staff knew how to access specialist professional help when needed.

People and their relatives told us that staff were kind and caring and people were treated with dignity by staff who respected their choices, needs and preferences. Staff respected a person’s home, their personal belongings and their lifestyle choices.

People were supported to maintain their independence and maintain their everyday activities and past times. The registered provider had systems in place to prevent people from feeling isolated in their own home.

The registered provider had an open door policy and people, their relatives and staff said that they found them approachable. People were able to give their feedback on the service. However, the registered provider’s quality monitoring systems did not always pick up shortfalls in the service.

10 December 2013

During a routine inspection

We completed a compliance inspection at the offices of this small home care provider. We noted from speaking to the provider and other staff that this service was individualised and personal and all members of staff knew all the service users very well. We spoke to people who used the service and they provided very positive feedback about the care and support they received.

We reviewed the procedure for obtaining consent. The provider had just developed a new document to obtain and review consent to care, treatment and support, and was still in the process of getting these completed and signed by people who used the service.

We found that care plans contained person centred information which provided staff with information about the level of support that people needed.

People had risk assessments recorded and we found that these had been reviewed on a regular basis.

Staff were supported through a regular programme of supervision and team meetings and an annual appraisal. During our compliance visit we met staff who attended the office to talk to the manager about service users and work related matters and also several members of staff telephoned the office to share information with the manager and get updates about people who used the service.

We reviewed quality monitoring arrangements and were shown various documents which demonstrated that quality was monitored on a regular basis, to ensure the high standards were maintained.

25 July 2012

During a themed inspection looking at Domiciliary Care Services

We carried out a themed inspection looking at domiciliary care services. The inspection was lead by a CQC inspector joined by an "expert by experience", ( people who have experience of using services and who can provide that perspective and advice). We visited four people in their own homes as a part of this review and spoke with them and their relatives about their experience of the support they had received. We spoke with senior staff at the time of our visit to the office and also spoke to five care workers at the office. We spoke with 13 people or their relatives who received a service from this agency over the telephone.

Everyone spoke positively about their care workers and felt that they supported their care needs. Without exception people said their care workers spoke with them in a calm and respectful way.

People told us their care was personalised to their needs. People's preferred names were used even when there were changes in care workers. In all cases people were happy that their care workers adapted well when care changes were made. They confirmed they had been involved in discussing and reviewing their care needs with a team leader from the agency. One person described the agency staff as, "Absolutely brilliant."

People felt staff were well trained and understood their needs. People told us they felt safe and if they had concerns they would speak with a family member, friends or somebody in the office.