Friars Lodge

Updated 21 March 2020

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. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

This inspection was carried out by an inspector and an inspection manager.

Service and service type

Friars Lodge is a care home. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that 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 since the previous inspection. This included information sent to us by the provider or shared with us by the local authority. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with three people and five staff including three care staff, the head of care, and the registered manager. We observed how staff supported people in communal areas of the service.

We reviewed a range of records. This included care records for three people and multiple medicines records. We looked at two staff files to review the provider’s recruitment, training and staff supervision processes. We also looked at a variety of records relating to the management of the service, including some policies and procedures, audits and quality assurance records.

After the inspection

We reviewed further evidence sent to us by the provider. We received feedback from a representative of the local authority that worked closely with the service.

Updated 21 March 2020

About the service

Friars Lodge is a residential home that provides personal care for up to 20 people with a range of care needs, including dementia. The service provides accommodation over two floors. This consists of communal areas and individual bedrooms. At the time of the inspection, 15 people were living at the service.

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

People said they received good care, and they were supported well by staff to meet their needs. People said staff were kind, caring, friendly, and they provided care in a respectful manner. People said the service was good and they were happy living there. They said staff and the registered manager were approachable and helpful. Staff said the service was a good place to work in and for people to live in. One staff member described it as a ‘home from home’.

People received safe care and they were protected from harm. Staff knew how to identify and report concerns. Potential risks to people’s health and wellbeing were managed well. Staff were recruited safely and there were enough staff to provide safe care. People were supported to take their medicines safely. Lessons were learnt from incidents to prevent recurrence. Staff had the right equipment and skills to prevent the spread of infections.

Staff were trained well to meet people's needs. Their competence to support people well was regularly assessed. People were supported to have enough to eat and drink. Staff supported people to access healthcare services when required. This helped people to maintain their health and well-being.

Staff were respectful in how they interacted with people and supported them. 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.

People received personalised care to meet their needs. Care plans contained enough information about people’s needs and this guided staff on how to support people well. Complaints were followed up and improvements made when required. Staff had records of people’s wishes about how they wanted to be supported at the end of their lives.

The provider had systems to assess and monitor the quality of the service. The registered manager and staff were motivated to provide the best service they could for people and their relatives. They were keen to learn and take steps to further improve the service.

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 good (published 14 November 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

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.