Lodge Group Supported Living Services

Updated 17 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.

As part of this inspection we looked at the infection control and prevention measures in place. This was conducted so we can understand the preparedness of the service in preventing or managing an infection outbreak, and to identify good practice we can share with other services.

Inspection team

This inspection was carried out by 1 inspector, a specialist advisor in learning disabilities and mental health and an Expert by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

Lodge Group Supported Living Services is a supported living service providing personal care to 8 people in 3 properties, so that they can live as independently as possible. People’s care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. CQC does not regulate premises used for supported living; this inspection looked at people’s personal care and support.

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

We gave a short period of notice of the inspection because some of the people using it could not consent to a home visit from an inspector. This meant that we had to arrange for a ‘best interests’ decision about this.

Inspection activity started on 01 December 2022 and ended on 03 December 2022. We visited the location service on 01 and 03 December 2022.

What we did before the inspection

The provider was not asked to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR) prior to this inspection. A PIR is information providers send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

We sought feedback from the local authority who work with the service. We reviewed the information we already held about the service. This included their registration report and notifications. A notification is information about important events, which the provider is required to tell us about by law. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

We used information gathered as part of monitoring activity that took place on 20 September 2022 to help plan the inspection and inform our judgements.

During the inspection

We reviewed a range of records. This included 4 people's care records. We looked at 4 staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed. We reviewed multiple medicine administration records. We spoke with 5 members of staff including the registered manager, home manager and 3 support workers. We also spoke with one relative.

We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us.

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at care records, minutes of meetings, staff training records and quality assurance records. We spoke with 5 relatives by telephone about their experience of the care provided.

Updated 17 December 2022

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices and independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ is the guidance CQC follows to make assessments and judgements about services supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people and providers must have regard to it.

About the service

Lodge Group Supported Living Services is a supported living service providing personal care to 8 people in 3 properties. The service provides support to people with learning disabilities, autistic spectrum disorder, mental health concerns, older people, physical disability and younger adults. At the time of our inspection there were 8 people were receiving personal care in the supported living services. All properties had an office available to staff, if required.

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

Right Support:

Staff understood people and their individual needs well. Staff provided kind, caring, person-centred care and support. People were supported by appropriate numbers of staff on each shift to ensure people's safety and meet their needs.

People were supported to access to health care professionals and their health was monitored as

appropriate. Care plans were person-centred and focused on people's needs. The service recorded and met people's communication needs, providing information in a way that was accessible to them. People were supported to maintain relationships with family and friends, and to engage in meaningful activities.

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.

Right Care:

Staff understood how to protect people from poor care and abuse. Staff had received training on how to recognise and report abuse and they knew how to apply it. People's care, treatment and support plans reflected their range of needs and staff knew people's needs well.

The service had enough appropriately skilled staff to meet people's needs and keep them safe. Safe recruitment processes were followed. People received their medicines as prescribed and medicines were managed safely. The service was clean, and people were protected from the risk of infection. People were able to express their views and make decisions about their care.

Staff understood people's different communication support needs. We saw people being supported using their preferred communication methods and staff demonstrated an awareness and understanding of people's needs. Staff ensured people's privacy and dignity was respected and their independence promoted.

Right Culture:

There was a positive culture at the service and people benefited from being supported by happy staff which was reflected in the atmosphere at the service. Staff turnover was very low, which supported people to receive consistent care from staff who knew them well. Staff told us they enjoyed their job and making a positive difference to someone's life.

People and those important to them were involved in planning their care and staff evaluated the quality of care provided to people, involving the person, their families and other professionals as appropriate. Staff ensured risks of a closed culture were minimised so that people received support based on transparency, respect and inclusivity. Relatives told us when they visited the service the atmosphere was good, staff were always pleasant and smiling and there is nothing they would change.

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

Rating at last inspection and update

This service was registered with us on 24 January 2022 and this is the first inspection.

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.

We undertook this inspection to assess that the service is applying the principles of Right support right care, right culture.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.