Tate Lodge

Tate Lodge is a 'care home'. People in 'care homes' receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) regulates both the premises and the care provided and both were looked at during this inspection.

The service had a registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with 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.

This was an unannounced inspection which took place on 18 July 2018. The last inspection was in January 2016 when the service was rated as Good. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of Good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

We found that staff's suitability to work with vulnerable adults at the service had been checked prior to employment. For instance, previous employer references had been sought and a criminal conviction check undertaken.

Staff had received training which equipped them with the knowledge and skills to ensure people received adequate support. Staff had also received more specific training to meet the needs of people living with mental health illnesses.

Medication was managed safely and was administered by staff who were competent to do so.

Appropriate arrangements were in place for checking the environment was safe. For example, health and safety audits were completed on a regular basis and accidents and incidents were reported and recorded appropriately.

Quality assurance processes were in place to seek the views of people using the service and their relatives.

Staff sought consent from people before providing support. Staff we spoke with understood the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) to ensure people consented to the care they received. The MCA is

legislation which protects the powers of people to make their own decisions.

People were involved in their support and there was evidence in their support plans to show that they had been consulted about decisions. Support plans contained detailed information to identify people's requirements and preferences in relation to their care. Appropriate risk assessments were recorded which helped to keep people safe.

There was no set daily routine at the service and people had a choice in what activities they participated in each day. We saw evidence that people's hobbies and interests were recorded and catered for.

Most people living at the service had one to one support. People were assigned a 'key support worker and co-support worker' to support them with activities in the local community. People devised a weekly activity planner which ensured they participated in the activities they enjoyed doing. People were supported by their support workers with attending external health care appointments which helped to promote people's wellbeing.

We asked people about how they thought the service was managed and their feedback was positive.

The five questions we ask about services and what we found