Archived: Olive Lodge

Olive Lodge is a residential care home providing personal and nursing care to 36 people aged 65 and over at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to 40 people.

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

People said they felt safe and secure living at the home, and they felt it was clean and tidy.

People said they felt there were enough staff to meet their needs. Staff were recruited safely, and they knew how to protect vulnerable people from abuse and harm.

People’s medical and physical health needs were met by trained, knowledgeable staff. Staff worked with external healthcare agencies to meet people’s needs and ensure they received their medicines as prescribed.

People said staff were kind and caring. Staff were able to describe how they protected and promoted people’s independence, privacy and dignity.

Care plans took into account people’s individual routines, preferences and cultural needs. Care plans were reviewed regularly.

There were a wide range of activities on offer which people said they enjoyed. The registered manager had built a wide network of links within the local community to ensure people were actively involved in and engaged with the people and facilities available in the local area.

The registered manager used the provider’s quality assurance processes and procedures to monitor and improve the service people received.

People said they were confident in raising concerns and that their views would be listened to. There were regular meetings and an annual survey used to gather feedback on service performance.

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.

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was good (published 14 December 2016).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

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

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.

Olive Lodge is a 40 bedded purpose built care home close to Horsforth Town Street in Leeds. The home has 36 single occupancy rooms and three apartments, all of which are en-suite and have a french door leading to a private balcony or patio.

At the time of our inspection the service had a registered manager. 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.

There were systems in place to ensure that people received their medication as prescribed.

There were enough staff to meet people’s needs. Robust recruitment and selection procedures were in place and appropriate checks had been undertaken before staff began work. Staff told us they received training to be able to carry out their role. Staff were given effective supervision.

Staff were aware of the processes in place to report incidents of abuse; and had been provided with training on how to keep people safe from abuse and harm. Processes were in place to manage identifiable risks and to promote people’s independence.

People were supported to eat and drink well and to maintain a varied and balanced diet of their choice. People had access to healthcare facilities and support that met their needs.

People had developed good relationships with the staff team who treated them with kindness and compassion. Systems were in place to ensure that their views were listened to; and their privacy and dignity was upheld and respected.

People's needs had been assessed and care plans outlined their preferences and how they should be supported. Staff showed a good knowledge of these preferences.

People were able to enjoy activities of their choice. Arrangements were in place for people to maintain links with the local community, friends and family.

The service had quality assurance systems in place which were used to drive continuous improvements.

Was the service safe?

We spoke with five people who used the service. They all told us they were happy with the care and support they received. One person told us 'This is a wonderful place; staff are so kind'. Another told us 'I feel staff listen to me and act on what I say'. We spoke with two relatives and they told us 'Staff are excellent and accommodating, we feel very involved'.

We saw evidence that staff received regular training in Safeguarding vulnerable adults, this meant they were able to protect people from the risk of harm. The service had an up to date Safeguarding Policy and on the wall in the office we saw information staff could use when reporting a safeguarding concern. Staff had regular training on a variety of subjects and the staff we spoke with told us they felt the training was important as it helped them keep their skills and knowledge up to date. The staff all received regular supervision and they felt that supervision was a good source of support for them.

The service was clean and well maintained. Equipment was well maintained and serviced regularly therefore not putting people at unnecessary risk.

The manager sets the staff rota and ensured that there was the right mix of skills on each shift. This meant that people were being cared for by staff that were qualified and experienced.

Recruitment practice was safe and thorough. There were policies and procedures in place for the service to manage any concerns about staff's performance.

Was the service effective?

People had an assessment of their care needs prior to admission into the home. Once they had settled into the home, a further assessment of need was carried out and care records were developed. The resulting care records were then reviewed at regular intervals. This ensured that people were having their needs assessed on a regular basis. The care records were not detailed. One of the care records we looked at contained inaccurate information and in another person's records we saw that assessment of need such as mobility had not been carried out. We have asked the manager to let us know how they would be addressing this.

People we spoke with knew who their keyworker was but some were not aware of their care plan.

Was the service caring?

We spoke with six members of the staff team. They told us they loved working at the home, one member of staff told us 'This is a nice home to work in, we all get on'. The staff felt that there were enough staff on duty to support people.

There was a range of activities people could take part in each day. The activities co-ordinator told us that people would have the choice as to whether they took part in the activities. On the day of inspection we saw people taking part in a gentle exercise class and other people were painting in the conservatory.

We saw that interaction between staff and people who used the service was warm and respectful. People told us 'Staff here are lovely, they are very patient with me'. We spoke with some relatives and they felt the service involved them in their relatives care. They told us 'Staff are great, they understand my (relative's) needs very well and they look so much better from the care here'.

Was the service responsive?

The manager told us they held regular meetings with people to encourage them to share their experiences of living at the home. People told us they knew who to talk to if they weren't happy. One person told us that they felt they had been listened to when they voiced their concerns about a particular subject. Not all the people felt the same way and the manager was trying to address this through the meetings held at the home.

The service had an up to date complaints policy and procedure that people could use if they needed to make a complaint. The service had not received any complaints over the past year.

Was the service well led?

The service had a quality assurance system that allowed them to address any shortfalls promptly.

Staff were clear about their roles and responsibilities and felt able to talk to the manager if they had any concerns.

People said, 'I'm very well looked after here. I like living here, I have no worries' and

'They always try and meet your needs and we can bring our own things in to personalise it.' Another person said, 'I like it here; staff are so nice and I feel valued.'

A relative said, 'I feel that my mother is safe here and they often stop and have a chat with her as they pass by.' Another relative said, 'The place is always clean when I come.'

A resident said, 'The staff are very friendly and helpful and I have no complaints.'

People who used the service told us that there were always plenty of staff on duty and they felt able to approach staff when they wanted to. Both relatives we spoke with told us that they felt staff listened to them. They told us they felt involved in decisions regarding their relatives care.

One person told us that, 'They (staff) always treat me with great respect.'

We observed that people were treated respectfully and that staff were attentive to maintaining the privacy and dignity of those they cared for.