Background to this inspection
Updated
24 February 2022
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.
As part of CQC’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic we are looking at how services manage infection control and visiting arrangements. This was a targeted inspection looking at the infection prevention and control measures the provider had in place. We also asked the provider about any staffing pressures the service was experiencing and whether this was having an impact on the service.
This inspection took place on 11 February 2022 and was announced. We gave the service less than 24 hours' notice of the inspection.
Updated
24 February 2022
About the service
Approach Lodge is a small residential care home providing personal care for up seven adults with mental health needs. At the time of our inspection seven people were living in the service.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People received outstanding support to help manage their mental health conditions and this had an extremely positive impact on their health and wellbeing. Relatives and health and social care professionals praised the support from the staff team and how it had made a difference in improving people’s lives.
People were supported to a range of healthcare appointments and staff followed up any issues or concerns. Health and social care professionals were confident with the knowledge and experience of the staff team.
People were supported by staff who had a good understanding of their needs and behaviours and knew how to keep them safe.
We observed positive interactions between people and staff throughout the inspection, with staff creating a kind and caring environment.
People were encouraged to be part of their local community and were supported to attend day centres and local activities to improve their wellbeing. People were supported to maintain relationships with their family and friends.
People’s language and cultural needs were accommodated and staff had a good understanding of how people liked to be supported. People were fully involved in how they received their care.
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 were cared for by a dedicated staff team who felt appreciated and valued in their role. Staff spoke positively about the strength of teamwork and the supportive environment that had helped people to manage their mental health effectively.
The Secretary of State has asked the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to conduct a thematic review and to make recommendations about the use of restrictive interventions in settings that provide care for people with or who might have mental health problems, learning disabilities and/or autism. Thematic reviews look in-depth at specific issues concerning quality of care across the health and social care sectors. They expand our understanding of both good and poor practice and of the potential drivers of improvement.
As part of thematic review, we carried out a survey with the registered manager at this inspection. This considered whether the service used any restrictive intervention practices (restraint, seclusion and segregation) when supporting people.
The service used positive behaviour support principles to support people in the least restrictive way. No restrictive intervention practices were used.
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 23 March 2017). Since this rating was awarded, the registered provider has altered its legal entity. We have used the previous rating to inform our planning and decisions about the rating at this inspection.
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.