Anastasia Lodge Care Home

Updated 3 January 2020

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 Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by one inspector and two Experts 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. One Expert by Experience visited the home to speak with people and visiting relatives. The second Expert by Experience made telephone calls to relatives to obtain their feedback.

Service and service type

Anastasia Lodge is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

Prior to the inspection, we reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection which included notifications affecting the safety and well-being of people who used the service that is required to be sent to us by law. We also reviewed information, the provider sent us in the Provider Information Return. Providers are required to send us key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with nine people who used the service and two relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with ten members of staff including the operations director, operations manager, the registered manager, the deputy manager, senior care workers, care workers, the activity coordinator and the chef. We also spoke with two visiting healthcare professionals.

We reviewed a range of records. This included four people’s care records and multiple medicine records. We looked at four 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 also reviewed.

After the inspection

We spoke with eight relatives following the inspection to obtain further feedback. We also continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at training data and quality assurance records.

Updated 3 January 2020

About the service

Anastasia Lodge is a residential care home providing accommodation and personal care to 28 people at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to 29 people. The service supports older people, primarily of Greek origin, some of whom were living with dementia.

The care home is two houses joined together and has been adapted to meet people’s needs. The home offers single occupancy and shared occupancy bedrooms.

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

People told us that they were happy living at Anastasia Lodge and felt safe with the care and support that they received from care staff.

People knew care staff well and staff also knew people, their likes and dislikes and how they wished to be supported. Some care staff spoke in people’s native language which enabled effective and responsive communication.

Care staff knew how to recognise possible abuse and explained the steps they would take to report their concerns and protect people from potential abuse.

People told us that staff were kind and caring and supported them in ways which respected their privacy and dignity but also promoted their independence.

Care plans were person centred, detailed and listed people’s support needs and how they wished to be cared for in response to those needs.

Risks associated with people’s health and care needs were assessed, giving guidance to staff on how to manage and minimise risks to keep people safe from harm.

Medicines were administered and managed safely, ensuring people received their medicines on time and as prescribed.

There were sufficient numbers of staff available at the home to ensure people’s safety and that care needs were appropriately met.

Recruitment processes followed by the service ensured that only those staff assessed as safe to work with vulnerable adults were employed.

People were seen to eat and drink well. People always had access to drinks and snacks. Where required, people received appropriate support and assistance with their meals.

People’s healthcare needs were monitored and were supported to access health and care services where specific needs and concerns had been identified.

Staff had access to training, further development and appropriate support to enable them to deliver care and support to people effectively.

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 and relatives knew who to speak with if they had any concerns or complaints and were confident these would be addressed immediately.

The registered manager and senior managers regularly monitored the quality of care people received and where issues were identified actions were taken to make the required improvements and promote learning to prevent re-occurrence.

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

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was Good (published 22 June 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.