Autumn Lodge

Updated 17 November 2022

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 Health and Social Care Act 2008.

As part of this inspection we looked at the infection control and prevention measures in place. This was conducted so we can understand the preparedness of the service in preventing or managing an infection outbreak, and to identify good practice we can share with other services.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Service and service type

Autumn Lodge is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing and/or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement dependent on their registration with us. Autumn Lodge is a care home without nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Registered Manager

The service had two managers registered with the Care Quality Commission. One registered manager was also the provider of the service, they are referred to as 'the provider' in the report, the second registered manager is referred to as 'the registered manager'. They and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used information gathered as part of monitoring activity that took place on 1 August 2022 to help plan the inspection and inform our judgements. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke to two people who were using the service about their experience of the care provided. Most people at the home were living with advanced dementia and were not able to tell us about their care. 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 talk with us. We spoke with five members of care staff, including the registered manager, deputy manager and three care staff. We spoke with three family members and friends and contacted three professionals about their experiences with working with the home.

Updated 17 November 2022

About the service

Autumn Lodge is a residential care home and was providing personal care and accommodation to 32 older people at the time of this inspection. The service can support up to 36 people. The home is comprised of three Victorian buildings converted into one home. Accommodation for people is over three floors. People have access to a lift, a garden with patio area and pond. There are various communal areas such as a conservatory, a lounge and dining room. The home specialises in providing care to people living with dementia

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

People we spoke to said they felt safe living at the home. One person said, “I feel absolutely safe here. The staff certainly make that happen.” People medicines were managed and administered safely. Infection control procedures had been updated in line with COVID-19 guidance to help protect people, visitors and staff from the risk of infection. There were enough staff to support people safely while staff had been recruited in line with the providers policy. Risks to people's health, safety and welfare were identified and supported. People’s needs had been assessed and updated when these changed.

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 supported this practice.

The registered manager encouraged feedback from people, staff and professionals involved in people’s care. Staff worked closely with health professionals and external agencies to promote good outcomes for people. People spoke positively about the openness, engagement and involvement of the registered manager

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

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was requires improvement (published 4 June 2021)

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.

For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating. The overall rating for the service has changed from requires improvement to good based on the findings of this inspection.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Autumn Lodge on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.