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Inspection on 22/03/10 for Clare Lodge Residential Care Home

Also see our care home review for Clare Lodge Residential Care Home for more information

This is the latest available inspection report for this service, carried out on 22nd March 2010.

it is an annual review prepared by CQC after examining previous reports and information from the provider. At the time of this report, CQC judged the service to be Good.

The inspector made no statutory requirements on the home as a result of this inspection and there were no outstanding actions from the previous inspection report.

What follows are excerpts from this inspection report. For more information read the full report on the next tab.

Annual service review Name of Service: Clare Lodge Residential Care Home The quality rating for this care home is: The rating was made on: two star good service 1 7 0 3 2 0 0 9 A quality rating is our assessment of how well a care home, agency or scheme is meeting the needs of the people who use it. We give a quality rating following a full review of the service. We call this review a ‘key’ inspection We do an annual service review when there has been no key inspection of the service in the last 12 months. It does not involve a visit to the service but is a summary of new information given to us, or collected by us, since the last key inspection or annual service review.   Has this annual service review changed our opinion of the service?   No You should read the last key inspection report for this service to get a full picture of how well outcomes for the people using the service are being met. The date by which we will do a key inspection: Name of inspector: Alison Butler Date of this annual service review: 0 9 0 2 2 0 1 0 Annual Service Review Page 1 of 6 Information about the service Address of service: 8 Battlefield Road St. Albans Hertfordshire AL1 4DD TBC TBC Telephone number: Fax number: Email address: Provider web address:   Name of registered provider(s): Name of registered manager (if applicable) B & M Investments Ltd t/a B & M Care Conditions of registration: Category(ies) : dementia old age, not falling within any other category Conditions of registration: The maximum number of service users who can be accommodated is: 24 The Registered person may provide the following category of service only: Care Home only - Code PC To service users of the following gender: Either Whose Primary care needs on admission to the home fall within the following Categories: Old Age not falling within any other category - Code OP Dementia - Code DE Have there been any changes in the ownership, management or the Yes service’s registration details in the last 12 months? If yes, what have they been: The manager resigned in July 2009 and the deputy has taken on the role but we have not yet received an application for registration 1 7 0 3 2 0 0 9 Number of places (if applicable): Under 65 Over 65 24 0 0 24 Date of last key inspection: Date of last annual service review (if applicable): Brief description of the service Annual Service Review Page 2 of 6 Clare Lodge is a residential care home provided by B & M Care. It was registered on 08/09/2008. The home is located in a residential area in St Albans. The historic town centre with its many shops and amenities are a short distance away. It is close to the countryside and the M1 and M25 motorways, and there are public transport links with a main line rail route and bus services. There are parking spaces to the front of the building and on the road. This purpose-built care home provides accommodation on three floors. The administrative office, communal lounges and dining room are all on the ground floor. There are 24 en suite bedrooms, 20 with showers, and all of the bedrooms may be personalised with occupants own personal items and belongings to help create more familiar surroundings for the residents. The back garden is attractively designed with a patio and seating areas for residents. The home charges £421 - £695 per week. Information about the home and the service it offers is contained in the Statement of Purpose and Service Users Guide. A copy of these and the most recent CSCI inspection report are available in the home Annual Service Review Page 3 of 6 Service update since the last key inspection or annual service review: What did we do for this annual service review? We looked at the information that we have received, or asked for, since the last key inspection on 17 March 2009. This included :- The Annual Quality Assurance Assessment (AQAA) that was sent to us by the manager. The AQAA is a self assessment that focuses on how well outcomes are being met for people using the service. It also gave us some numerical information about the service. -Surveys - these are sent to the home to get the views of those living their about the care and support they receive. - Information we have about how the service has managed any complaints. - What the service has told about the things that have happened in the service, these are called notifications and are a legal requirement. - The previous key inspection and the results of any other visits that we have made to the service in the last 12 months. - Relevant information from other organisations. What has this told us about the service? The manager who is not yet registered returned the completed Annual Quality Assurance Assessment (AQAA) and we looked at the information provided. In our judgement the home is still providing a good service. The manager states that they seek the views of the people who use the service, that they ensure residents are consulted and involved about the service on a regular basis. They hold monthly residents meetings where they are able to ask questions, and give the manager their views and wishes about the service. The manager states they also collect views of the residents through the care planning process, reviews, and questionnaires. The manager states there is an open door policy and relatives and friends are welcome to visit the home. The AQAA states that they have made changes as a result of listening to people by employing an activities organiser to improve the activities on offer. They are also planning to conduct a Quality Assurance questionnaire and any issues raised will be addressed. To promote equality and diversity the manager states they do this by ensuring all staff adhere to the policy on equality and diversity and it is part of their induction programme for all new employees. The AQAA states that there only barriers to improvement was not having an activities co-ordinator which they have now over come by being able to employ one. The manager states the improvements for the coming year which have been identified include continuing to update training and skills, adding more hours for activities, and continue to promote the health, safety and welfare of all who enter the home. We have received no information that is of concern. We have written to the provider to ask about there plans to register a manager and we await the outcome and will then decide if any other action is necessary. What are we going to do as a result of this annual service review? Annual Service Review Page 4 of 6 We can inspect the service at any time if we have any concerns about the care provided but there is no indication at this time that an inspection is required in the immediate future. The next key inspection of this service will be undertaken in line with our methodology unless information received suggests that an earlier visit is necessary. As with all care services, information will continue to be gathered over the intervening period. The homes performance will be subject to a process of continual assessment and evaluation in the light of any information received, with appropriate regulatory action being taken as indicated. Annual Service Review Page 5 of 6 Reader Information Document Purpose: Author: Audience: Further copies from: Annual service review CQC General Public 0870 240 7535 (national contact centre) Our duty to regulate social care services is set out in the Care Standards Act 2000. The content of which can be found on our website. 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