The inspection was carried out on 11 and 12 December 2018. The first day of our inspection was unannounced while the second day was announced.Sonya 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. Sonya Lodge is a service that provides accommodation and personal care for up to 37 older people with dementia. At the time of the inspection, 34 people were living at the service; who were living with a range of health and support needs. These included; diabetes, epilepsy and dementia. The service had very large communal lounges/dining rooms available on the ground floor; with armchairs and TVs for people and a separate, quieter lounge, where people could entertain their visitors.
At the last Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection on 17 October 2017, the service was rated as Good. At this inspection, we found the service Requires Improvement.
The service has a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) 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.
The provider did not follow safe recruitment practice. New staff started working without a DBS check.
Although effective systems were in place to enable the provider to assess, monitor and improve the quality and safety of the service, these had not been rigorously followed. Records were not always accurate, complete and consistent.
People were safe at Sonya Lodge. Staff knew what their responsibilities were in relation to keeping people safe from the risk of abuse. Staff recognised the signs of abuse and what to look out for. There were systems in place to support staff and people to stay safe.
Medicines were managed safely and people received them as prescribed.
There were appropriate numbers of trained staff to meet people’s needs and keep people safe.
Each person had an up to date, personalised support plan, which set out how their care and support needs should be met by staff. These were reviewed regularly.
People were supported to eat and drink enough to meet their needs. They also received the support they needed to stay healthy and to access healthcare services.
The Care Quality Commission is required by law to monitor the operation of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards. The provider and staff understood their responsibilities under the Mental Capacity Act 2005.
Staff showed they were caring. They treated people with dignity and respect and ensured people's privacy was maintained particularly when being supported with their personal care needs.
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.
There were activities located around the service for people to engage with independently and each dining room table was set up for people to be engaged in a different activity.
Staff received regular training and supervision to help them meet people's needs effectively.
The registered manager ensured the complaints procedure was made available if people wished to make a complaint. Regular checks and reviews of the service continued to be made to ensure people experienced good quality safe care and support.
The registered manager provided good leadership. They checked staff were focussed on people experiencing good quality care and support.
People and staff were encouraged to provide feedback about how the service could be improved. This was used to make changes and improvements that people wanted.
We found two 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 this report.