Claremont Lodge Care Home

Updated 9 December 2022

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. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

Inspection team

The inspection was undertaken by two inspectors.

Service and service type

Claremont Lodge Care Home is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing and/or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement dependent on their registration with us. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations. At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke to six people who were using the service about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with eleven members of staff, including the registered manager, administrator, home care assistants, a nurse, chef, kitchen assistants, activity co-ordinators and housekeeper. We spoke with two family members and contacted three professionals about their experiences with working with the home.

Updated 9 December 2022

About the service

Claremont Lodge Care Home is a residential care home providing personal and nursing care to up to 35 people with various health conditions, including dementia and sensory impairment. At the time of the inspection there were 25 people living at the service. Claremont Lodge Care Home is a purpose-built care home located in Fontwell, West Sussex.

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

People we spoke to said they felt safe living at the home. People’s medicines were managed and administered safely. Infection control procedures had been updated in line with COVID-19 guidance to help protect people, visitors and staff from the risk of infection. There were enough staff to support people safely and staff had been recruited in line with the providers policy. Risks to people's health, safety and welfare were identified and supported. People’s needs had been assessed and updated when these changed.

People were supported by trained staff who linked with external professionals to ensure that people’s health needs were met. People were supported to eat and drink sufficient amounts to meet their needs. 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.

People were given kind and compassionate support by staff who knew them well. People’s views and opinions were sought. Staff were dignified and respectful with people.

People were supported with activities and engagement that met their social needs. People were supported in a personalised way that was responsive to their needs. People’s communication needs had been assessed and staff were supporting these. People felt confident that any issues or complaints would be dealt with to their satisfaction. Planning for people’s end of life support was thorough and compassionate.

The registered manager ensured that quality assurance systems were completed to monitor people’s safety and care, and to drive improvement. The registered manager encouraged feedback from people, staff and professionals involved in people’s care. Staff worked closely with health professionals and external agencies to promote good outcomes for people. People spoke positively about the registered manager.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

This service was registered with us on 5 March 2020 and this is the first inspection. The last rating for the service under the previous provider was good, published on 27 February 2020.

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

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 COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.