Burntwood Lodge provides accommodation and personal care for up to six people with a learning disability or who may be living with dementia.This was an unannounced inspection which took place on 11 February 2016.
There was a registered manager in post. 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run. The registered manager assisted us during our inspection.
The home was not consistently well-led because the registered manager had allowed clinical waste to be disposed of in the general waste bins. Records held in the home were not always up to date or contemporaneous.
Staff undertook quality assurance audits to ensure the care provided was of a standard people should expect. Although we found actions identified were not always acted upon.
Staff had identified and assessed individual risks for people. Accidents and incidents that occurred were recorded however information was sketchy and not contemporaneous.
Medicines were managed in an appropriate way and people received the medicines they had been prescribed.
Care records for people were not always written in a person-centred way and although staff knew people, they were not all able to tell us about people’s background because there was no information available. People had the opportunity to participate in activities, however activities where not always individualised or meaningful for people.
Staff said they felt supported by the registered manager and provider and told us they met with their line manager on a one to one basis to discuss training or any aspect of their work. Staff were aware of their responsibilities to safeguard people from abuse and were able to tell us what they would do in such an event. Staff had access to a whistleblowing policy should they need to use it. Appropriate checks were carried out to help ensure only suitable staff worked in the home.
Good relationships had been established between staff and people. People lived in a homely environment and staff treated people with care and respect.
People were supported to make their own decisions, from the food they wished to eat to what they wanted to wear or how they spent their time. Staff supported people to keep healthy by providing a range of food. People had access to external health services and professional involvement was sought by staff when appropriate to help people maintain good health.
Staff had followed legal requirements to make sure that any decisions made or restrictions to people were done in the person’s best interests. Staff understood the Mental Capacity Act (2005) and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS).
There were a sufficient number of staff on duty to support people when they needed it. People did not have to wait to receive attention from staff.
Staff received a good range of training which included training specific to the needs of people living at Burntwood Lodge. This allowed them to carry out their role in an effective and competent way. Staff met together regularly as a team to discuss all aspects of the home.
If an emergency occurred or the home had to close for a period of time, people’s care would not be interrupted as there were procedures in place. There was a reciprocal arrangement in place with a neighbouring home should people need to be evacuated.
A complaints procedure was available for any concerns. People and their relatives were encouraged to feedback their views and ideas into the running of the home.
During the inspection we found some breaches of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of the report.