We carried out a review of the data available to us about Kallar Lodge Residential Care Home on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about Kallar Lodge Residential Care Home, you can give feedback on this service.
Kallar Lodge Residential Care Home is a residential care home providing personal care to 25 people aged 65 and over at the time of the inspection, many of whom were living with dementia. The service can support up to 44 people.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
Systems were in place to help protect people from the risk of abuse. Risk assessments were in place which included information about how to mitigate risks people faced. Steps had been taken to ensure the premises were safe. Infection control measures had been put in place. There were enough staff working at the service to support people in a safe way, and pre employment checks were carried out on staff to check their suitability. Accidents and incidents were reviewed to reduce the risk of similar incidents re-occurring.
Quality assurance and monitoring systems were in place to help drive improvements at the service. Some of these included seeking the views of people who used the service and others. The service had links with other agencies to help develop best practice. There was a clear management structure in place and staff spoke positively about the support they received.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection and update
The last rating for this service was requires improvement (published 27 June 2019) and there were multiple breaches of regulation. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve. At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations
Why we inspected
We carried out an unannounced comprehensive inspection of this service on 30 May 2019. Breaches of legal requirements were found. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve in relation to sage care and treatment and good governance.
We undertook this focused inspection to check they had followed their action plan and to confirm they now met legal requirements. This report only covers our findings in relation to the key questions safe and well-led which contain those requirements.
The ratings from the previous comprehensive inspection for those key questions not looked at on this occasion were used in calculating the overall rating at this inspection. The overall rating for the service has changed from requires improvement to good. This is based on the findings at this inspection.
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 coronavirus and other infection outbreaks effectively.
You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Kallar Lodge Residential Care Home 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.
Kallar Lodge Residential Care Home 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. 29 people were using the service at the time of inspection.
People’s experience of using this service:
We found two breaches of regulations because people’s safety was potentially compromised, and quality assurance and monitoring systems were not always effective. Medicines were not managed appropriately and there were not always adequate risk assessments in place for people. The service had failed to identify these areas of concern.
Procedures were in place to help protect people from the risk of abuse and staff understood their responsibility with regard to safeguarding people. There were enough staff working at the service to meet people’s needs and robust staff recruitment practices were in place. The service sought to learn lessons when accidents and incidents occurred. Steps had been taken to protect people from the risk of infection.
People’s needs were assessed before they commenced using the service to ensure those needs could be met. Staff received training and supervision to support them in carrying out their role effectively. The design and layout of the building was suitable for the people using it. People had a choice of what they ate and drank. The service worked with other agencies and professionals to support people’s health care needs. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff did support them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service did support this practice.
People told us staff were kind and caring and treated them respectfully. Staff had a good understanding of how to promote people’s privacy, dignity and independence. The service sought to meet people’s needs in relation to equality and diversity.
Care plans were in place which set out how to meet people’s needs. People and their relatives were involved in developing these plans. People had access to a range of social activities and we saw people enjoying these on the day of our inspection. Complaints procedures were in place and records showed complaints were handled in line with the procedures. Appropriate support arrangements were in place for people at the end of life stages of care.
Staff spoke positively about the leadership group and said there was a good working atmosphere. The service had links with other agencies to help develop best practice. Systems were in place for seeking the views of people who used the service and their relatives.
Rating at last inspection: At the last inspection of this service it was rated as good. The report from that inspection was published on the 14 December 2016.
Why we inspected:
This was a scheduled inspection based on the previous rating.
Enforcement:
Refer to the end of the full version of this report for details of action we have asked the provider to take.
Follow up:
We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received, we may inspect sooner.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Kallar Lodge is registered to provide accommodation and support with personal care for up to 37 older people living with dementia. The home is operated by the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham. At the time of our inspection 33 people were using the service.
The service had a registered manager in place. 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.
The service had appropriate arrangements in place for safeguarding adults from the risk of abuse. Risk assessments were in place which included information about how to support people in a safe manner. There were enough staff working at the service and robust staff recruitment procedures were in place. Medicines were managed in a safe manner. However, we found a number of minor issues of concern relating to safety at the service.
Staff were well supported and received regular training and supervision. The service was operating within the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and people were able to make choices about their daily lives, including about what they ate and drank. People had routine access to health care professionals.
People told us they were treated with respect and in a caring manner by staff. The service promoted people’s independence and privacy. However, we found that bedroom doors were not personalised and did not promote orientation for people. We have made a good practice recommendation about this.
Care plans were in place which set out how to meet people’s individual needs. People were supported to engage in a variety of activities. The service had a complaints procedure in place and people knew how to make a complaint.
Staff spoke positively of the registered manager. The service had quality assurance and monitoring systems in place, some of which involved seeking the views of people that used the service.
There were systems in place in place for obtaining informed consent from people who use the service. Before people received any care or treatment they were asked for their consent and the provider acted in accordance with their wishes.
We saw that all areas, including bedrooms and communal areas, were clean. No odours were evident. Staff had access to, and we saw they used personal protective equipment such as gloves, alcohol gel for cleaning hands and disposable plastic aprons. One person told us, "this place is first class and is always very clean."
We looked at staff files and saw that the service followed recruitment procedures and checked that new staff were suitable people to work in a care home.
People using the service said they could talk to staff or the manager if they had any concerns or complaints. They also felt confident that staff members would resolve their problem. One person said, "I would complain and I have and it was sorted out quickly."
Systems were in place to safeguarding people from abuse. One visitor said 'we feel she is quite safe here.' In a quality survey a visiting professional had written 'a safe and friendly house for people to be in.'
Staff received the training and support that they needed to carry out their duties and support people who used the service. A member of staff told us 'I have had a lot of training over the time that I have been working for the borough and it is updated all the time as things change.'
The manager monitored the quality of the service to ensure that people were receiving a safe service that met their needs. The provider had not been regularly monitoring the service but the manager told us that a system had been introduced by which managers of the providers services would visit each others services to check the quality of care provided. We found that people who used the service and their relatives were asked for their opinions about the service and that, as far as possible, any issues raised were addressed.