Carlile Lodge

Updated 26 June 2018

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This inspection took place on 26 February 2018 and was unannounced. The inspection was carried out by two inspectors.

Before the inspection we looked at information the provider sent us in the Provider Information Return. This is information we require providers to send us at least once annually to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We looked at previous inspection reports and notifications we had received. Notifications are information we receive from the service when significant events happen, like a serious injury.

During the inspection we spent time with six of the people who live at the service and spoke with three of them. We spoke with the registered manager, deputy manager and two staff. We looked at two people’s care plans and the associated risk assessments and guidance. We looked at a range of other records including three staff recruitment files, the staff induction records, training and supervision schedules, staff rotas, medicines records and quality assurance surveys and audits.

Updated 26 June 2018

Care service description

Carlile Lodge is a service for up to ten people with learning disabilities and /or autistic spectrum disorder who may also have behaviours that can be challenging. People lived in their own flats and shared communal areas such as a kitchen, lounge, dining room and laundry room. There were eight people living at the service when we inspected.

Carlile 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 care service has been developed and designed in line with the values that underpin the Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These values include choice, promotion of independence and inclusion. People with learning disabilities and autism using the service can live as ordinary a life as any citizen.

Rating at last inspection

At our last inspection we rated the service good.

Rating at this inspection

At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

Why the service is rated Good

People were supported to recognise when they were vulnerable and how to keep themselves safe. People were involved in identifying risks and in planning with staff, how these could be minimised. People were involved in managing their own medicines and in minimising the risk of infection.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. When incidents or accidents occurred people and staff worked together to minimise the risk of them happening again.

People worked with staff to develop their own care plans and design their own support. People were supported to prepare their own meals. People chose what they ate and could eat in their own flats or with others in the communal dining area. People were supported to understand any health conditions and how to manage them well. People took part in a range of activities they enjoyed and were encouraged to try new things. Staff knew people well and responded quickly to any signs of anxiety or distress. Interactions between people and staff were relaxed and included lots of humour. People were supported to respect each other and appropriately challenge each other’s behaviour. People used a range of tools to express themselves and information was given to them in ways they understood. People had been supported to develop end of life care plans when appropriate.

There were enough competent, trained staff to meet people’s needs and they were recruited safely. Staff told us they felt well supported by the registered manager and could put forward suggestions for improvements at any time. Staff used effective systems to communicate with each other to ensure people’s needs were met. The registered manager received updates on good practice and changes in legislation from the provider and shared these with the staff team. Staff worked in partnership with other professionals to support people and understand their support needs.

Regular audits of the service were completed and used to drive improvement. People, relatives and professionals were encouraged to give feedback on the quality of the service. Feedback was generally positive and any concerns had been addressed. People were encouraged to raise any concerns or complaints and these were resolved in line with the provider’s policy and to people’s satisfaction. The environment had been designed to meet people’s needs including adaptations to people’s bathrooms when required.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.