Archived: Skipton Lodge

Skipton Lodge provides housing with care. People live in their own home and receive personal care and support from staff at pre-arranged times and in emergencies. At the time of our visit 14 people at Skipton Lodge received personal care.

The service had a registered manager. 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.

People felt safe using the service and there were processes to minimise risks to people’s safety. These included procedures to manage identified risks with people’s care and for managing people’s medicines safely. Staff knew what actions to take to keep people safe and had a good understanding of what constituted abuse. The suitability of care staff was checked during recruitment procedures to make sure, as far as possible, they were safe to work with people who used the service.

The managers understood their responsibilities in relation to the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). Staff respected people’s decisions and gained people’s consent before they provided personal care.

There were enough staff to deliver the care and support people required. Staff received training and supervision to support them in meeting people’s needs effectively. Staff had the right skills to provide the care and support people required.

People received care from a regular team of staff who stayed long enough to complete the care people required. People told us staff were kind and respectful and knew how people liked to receive their care.

Support plans and risk assessments contained relevant information to help staff provide the personalised care people required. People knew how to complain and information about making a complaint was available for people. Staff said they could raise any concerns or issues with the managers, knowing they would be listened to and acted on.

There was an experienced management team who provided good leadership and who care staff found approachable and responsive. There were systems to monitor and review the quality of service people received and to understand the experiences of people who used the service.

We observed how people were being cared for and talked with four people who use the service, and two relatives. We talked with three staff members and one professional who worked for the health authority. We looked at records and observed people eating lunch. One person said 'I like it here, the food is quite good.'

We spoke with the assistant manager. The registered manager was not available on the day of our visit. Staff had a good knowledge and understanding of the individual needs of people living there. All the interactions we observed were friendly, positive and informal.

Care and treatment was planned and delivered in a way that was intended to ensure people's choices, safety and welfare. People were cared for by staff who were supported to deliver care and treatment safely and to an appropriate standard. One person told us 'I like it here, I've no complaints. The staff are nice, you can have a laugh.'

We saw that people or their relatives signed a service user agreement to consent to the care and support provided. Staff supported people to make their own decisions and respected decisions people made.

Care plans provided staff with sufficient information about the individual support needs of people and how staff were to provide support safely.

People generally spoke positively about the care provided. One person said, "I enjoy myself. I'm glad I came." Another said, "I feel as if I am very fortunate."

Staff had a good knowledge of different forms of abuse and told us they would report any observed or suspected abuse to their manager.

Staff received up to date training and there were systems in place to identify when training became due. Staff supervision was not consistent, but staff we spoke with said they would talk to the managers if they had any concerns or issues.

The service had a complaints procedure that was made available to people when they moved to Skipton Lodge. All the people we spoke with told us they would speak to someone if they had any complaints.