Archived: Claremont Lodge Care Home

Claremont Lodge Care Home is a care home registered to provide nursing and residential care and accommodation for up to 35 people with various health conditions, including dementia and sensory impairment. There were 29 people living at the service on the day of our inspection. Claremont Lodge Care Home is a purpose built care home located in Fontwell, West Sussex.

People’s experience of using this service:

People were happy with the care they received, felt relaxed with staff and told us they were treated with kindness. They said they felt safe, were well supported and there were sufficient staff to care for them.

Our own observations supported this, and we saw friendly relationships had developed between people and staff. One person told us, “The staff are all very kind, one of them is very funny and makes me laugh”.

People enjoyed an independent lifestyle and told us their choices and needs were met. They enjoyed the food, drink and activities that took place daily. One person told us, “I enjoy the food, it’s got better recently”. A relative added, “I’m perfectly happy with the care [my relative] receives, I have no worries”.

People felt the service was well presented and welcoming to them and their visitors. A relative told us, “We visit regularly and are always made to feel welcome. I’ve enjoyed the meals we’ve had here too”.

People told us they thought the service was well managed and they enjoyed living there. One person told us, “The manager is very nice, she pops in to say hello”.

Staff had received training considered essential by the provider. It was clear from observing the care delivered and the feedback people and staff gave us, that they knew the best way to care for people in line with their needs and preferences. A member of staff told us, “We get the time to get to know people and that’s really good”.

The provider had systems of quality assurance to measure and monitor the standard of the service and drive improvement. These systems also supported people to stay safe by assessing and mitigating risks, ensuring that people were cared for in a person centred way and that the provider learned from any mistakes. Our own observations and the feedback we received supported this. People received high quality care that met their needs and improved their wellbeing from dedicated and enthusiastic staff. A member of staff said, “It’s really nice working here, we all get on and we all care for the residents”.

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

Rating at last inspection: Good (report published 25 July 2018).

Why we inspected: This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up: We will continue to monitor the intelligence we receive about this home and plan to inspect in line with our re-inspection schedule for those services rated Good. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.

Claremont Lodge Care Home is registered to provide nursing and residential care for up to 35 older people. The home is purpose built, with all rooms having ensuite facilities. There are extensive landscaped gardens surrounding the home and ground floor rooms have patio doors that open on to garden area. At the time of our inspection 27 people were living at the home. People’s needs varied. Some people were quite independent and only needed minimal assistance whilst others required assistance with all aspects of their care.

During our inspection the registered manager was present. 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.

At our previous inspection in May 2015 we found that as and when required (PRN) medicines were not always managed safely and this resulted in a breach of regulation. In response, the registered manager sent us an action plan that detailed the steps that would be taken to address this. At this inspection we found that medicines were managed safely and the previous breach of regulation was met. Staff followed safe medicine administration procedures and people said they were happy with the support they received to manage their medicines.

People told us that staff were kind, caring and respectful and we observed this to be the case during our inspection. People said that they were treated with respect and dignity and that their rights were promoted. We observed interactions by staff that were genuine and warm however, some people and staff commented about staffing levels. People said that this did not affect their safety but that they affected the quality of care provided. This is an area for development that the provider has started to act upon.

Staff were suitably trained and skilled and received training relevant to the needs of people who lived at the home. Staff were supported and received group and one to one supervision. Staff had received safeguarding training and reporting procedures were in place if abuse was suspected.

People said that they were happy with the medical care and attention they received. People’s health needs were managed effectively. Potential risks to people were assessed and information was available for staff which helped keep people safe. Equipment was available in sufficient quantities and used where needed to ensure that people were moved safely and staff practiced safe moving and handling techniques.

Quality monitoring systems were in place to ensure action was taken when areas for improvement were identified. Robust recruitment checks were completed to ensure staff were safe to support people. Everyone that we spoke with said that the registered manager was a good role model. Staff, people who lived at the home and their relatives said that the registered manager actively sought their views, listened and acted upon them. Views were sought via questionnaires and during group meetings.

People received responsive care based on their individual needs. A new care planning system was being introduced at the home that would provide more detailed care plans for staff to refer to. It would also give people greater opportunities to be involved in any reviews of their care.

People said that they consented to the care they received and that their freedom of movement was not restricted. Mental capacity assessments were completed for people and their capacity to make decisions had been assumed by staff unless there was a professional assessment to show otherwise.

People said that the food at the home was good and that their dietary needs were met. There were a variety of choices available to people at all mealtimes. There were no restrictions on visiting times and relatives were able to have meals with their family members if they wished. People said that they were happy with the choice of activities on offer and that they were supported to maintain links with people who were important to them.

Information of what to do in the event of needing to make a complaint was displayed in the home. During our visit we observed staff assessing if people were happy as part of everyday routines that were taking place.

We saw that people's consent was sought, wherever possible, before care and support was provided. We observed that the care given was safe and appropriate and based on effective care planning and risk assessments. This meant that people's individual needs were met and their preferences were taken into account.

People were protected from the risks associated with poor medication management. We saw that medicines were properly obtained, stored and administered in line with the provider's policy. We noted that there were adequate numbers of experienced staff to provide good care. We also found that systems were in place for people and relatives to make a complaint about the service if necessary.

We spoke with two members of staff who were on duty. They were knowledgeable about maintaining the privacy and dignity of people and what was required of them to ensure that people's care needs were met. Staff told us that they were confident that the manager would listen to them if they had any concerns.

We observed staff on duty had a good relationship with the people living at the home. When talking to people, staff were friendly and professional. One person told us, "The staff are very good'.