Kings Lodge Care Centre

The home is purpose-built and accommodation and facilities are arranged over two floors.

People's experience of using this service: People felt safe at the home and when staff provided their care. Risks were assessed and managed effectively. Accidents and incidents were recorded and reviewed to identify learning. Medicines were managed safely. Staff attended safeguarding training and understood their role in protecting people from the risk of abuse.

Staff were recruited safely and there were enough staff on each shift to keep people safe. A number of permanent staff had recently been recruited and the use of agency staff had reduced as a result. This had improved the consistency of care people received but people said some staff's limited English made communication difficult. The provider had identified this issue and had put measures in place to support staff to improve their English.

Staff had access to the training they needed to carry out their roles. Some staff had not been receiving regular supervision. The manager had identified this and told us staff supervision would take place regularly moving forward.

People enjoyed the food at the home. They said they had a good choice of meals and had been asked for their views about the menu. People who needed texture-modified meals received these in line with recommendations made by healthcare professionals.

People's needs were assessed before they moved into the home to ensure staff had the necessary skills to provide their care. People were supported to maintain good health and told us they were able to see healthcare professionals when they needed to. The design and layout of the building met the needs of people with mobility issues and people living with dementia.

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. Mental capacity assessments had been carried out to establish whether people were able to make informed decisions about their care. The manager had identified that some assessments needed revision to ensure they related to specific decisions and had begun reviewing all mental capacity assessments.

People had positive relationships with the staff who supported them and relatives said staff showed kindness in their approach to care. Staff treated people with respect and maintained their dignity when

providing care. People told us they enjoyed the activities at the home. The management team had recognised that there were limited opportunities for activities for people who chose to stay in their rooms and had put plans in place to address this.

The manager had taken up their post in September 2022 and the clinical lead had been appointed in October 2022. People who lived at the home and their relatives told us the manager had overseen improvements to the service. Relatives said the manager had improved communication with them, and had encouraged them to be more involved in the life of the home and in planning their family members' care. The management team had been working to improve the culture within the staff team, and relatives said they had noticed an improvement in staff morale, which had benefited their family members.

People told us their feedback was listened to and acted upon. People felt comfortable making complaints and told us any concerns they raised had been taken seriously and responded to. Staff had opportunities to raise any issues they had at team meetings and were encouraged to give feedback about the support they received.

The management team had developed a service improvement plan, which recorded areas where improvements were needed. The manager and the clinical team had begun reviewing and updating people's care plans to ensure they were person-centred and reflected people's needs and life histories, including for people admitted to the home under the 'discharge to assess' scheme.

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