Please wait

Inspection on 16/04/10 for Pinetree Lodge Nursing Home

Also see our care home review for Pinetree Lodge Nursing Home for more information

This is the latest available inspection report for this service, carried out on 16th April 2010.

CQC found this care home to be providing an Good service.

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.

What the care home does well

The service has a competent and experienced Manager who ensures that the residents are delivered a service which meets their needs. This is monitored through the Quality Assurance process involving a number of guest and relative surveys as well as senior managers reports. There are also a number of audits carried out on a regular basis. The information we have received from the home since the last inspection suggests that they work well with other organisations and authorities and seek advice from others if they need to. Staff in the care home are attentive and pleasant, the atmosphere was very calm with good interactions between the residents, relatives and the staff. Generally the residents seemed content and were receiving appropriate care in a way that protected their privacy and dignity. Those residents spoken who were able to express their views talked about the staff in a very positive way and were confident that they are well supported and cared for. During the visit the staff on duty included a two Registered Nurses who were very helpful but busy with people living in the home and were organising the team in an effective way. There were four care staff on each of the units who were working hard to make sure that the residents were safe and comfortable. The relatives / representatives were very complementary about the care delivered and were forcefully in their appreciation of the way that people are supported, one described that their relative was "very well cared for". The care plans examined contained a very good admission record using the services documentation. Good risk assessments are completed which are up to date and very detailed. All records were up to date, detailed and specific to the person. The amount of amendments suggesting that they are reviewed and changed regularly to show the changing health and social care needs of the individual. There was particularly good information on the residents challenging behavior. Of the ten relative surveys we sent out two were returned. They were very complementary including comment such as "the staff at Pinetree Lodge are very caring and work hard" and " the interaction with dementia patients is good and the staff are friendly". One relative spoken to was very happy with the care and said that the care staff and the nurses were really helpful. Another said that they had confidence that they will look after their relative, however they thought the home was sometimes short staffed as there weretimes when the staff were too busy. This was discussed with the manager and senior staff and it was confirmed that there had been some staffing issues around sickness. This is being dealt with and additional staff have been employed. Also the staffing numbers have now been increased to have two additional care staff (one per unit) at peak times of activity. A number of the residents are very dependent and present with some challenging behaviors. One carer was observed spending time assisting a resident to eat as he sat on a chair on one of the corridors, she was very patient and supportive. The meal time observed was well organised and residents were being encouraged to be independent where possible. The meal being served was fish and chips which had been brought in from the chip shop. Chocolate pudding was being served for desert. The home now has a catering assistant employed. She has a good understanding of the importance of nutrition and making individual meals for those people who need something different due to their nutritional needs or if they were unwell and wanted something specific to tempt them to eat. Some decoration has been carried out and there new pictures on the wall and there have been a number of carpets replaced. Relatives were complementary about the changes made. Additional improvements to the decoration are planned including the carpets and further decoration. Some of the residents have been on a recent trip out to Rothbury, there are plans in place for further trips when the weather improves.

What the care home could do better:

The requirements made at the last key inspection have all been met and no requirements were identified at this visit. During the visit and from returned surveys it was evident that relatives and Representatives were concerned about the recent problems with staffing numbers, this has now been resolved. Other concerns expressed were around the opportunities for residents to take part in social activities. This is being reviewed by the Manager and her team as they have recently increased the number of staff and are planning to use this to improve the social opportunities for the residents. The Manager ensures that the quality of the service is maintained by a very thorough and comprehensive quality assurance mechanism.

Random inspection report Care homes for older people Name: Address: Pinetree Lodge Nursing Home Dryden Road Gateshead Tyne & Wear NE9 5BY two star good service The quality rating for this care home is: The rating was made on: 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. This is a report of a random inspection of this care home. A random inspection is a short, focussed review of the service. Details of how to get other inspection reports for this care home, including the last key inspection report, can be found on the last page of this report. Lead inspector: Suzanne McKean Date: 1 6 0 4 2 0 1 0 Information about the care home Name of care home: Address: Pinetree Lodge Nursing Home Dryden Road Gateshead Tyne & Wear NE9 5BY 01914774242 01914779319 Telephone number: Fax number: Email address: Provider web address: www.mentalhealthconcern.org Name of registered provider(s): Name of registered manager (if applicable) Mrs Kathleen Bailey Type of registration: Number of places registered: Conditions of registration: Category(ies) : Mental Health Concern care home 34 Number of places (if applicable): Under 65 Over 65 34 0 dementia mental disorder, excluding learning disability or dementia Conditions of registration: Date of last inspection Brief description of the care home 5 5 Pinetree Lodge Nursing Home is owned by Mental Health Concern and opened in 1984. It is designed to accommodate the needs of older people with dementia care and nursing needs. The fees at the home are #634 but several grants and funding bodies pay these monies. The home is a purpose built bungalow style facility. It is divided into three units and provides nursing care for people with mental health needs, predominantly those needs associated with dementia-type illnesses, in each unit. There are a variety of lounges and dining rooms throughout the building as well as a sensory room. One lounge provides access to an internal courtyard and a sensory Care Homes for Older People Page 2 of 8 Brief description of the care home garden has been created. The home is situated in a residential area just off Durham Road in Gateshead. Other healthcare facilities are located in the same grounds. Public transport is within easy walking distance and this gives access to local shops and social amenities. Care Homes for Older People Page 3 of 8 What we found: An unannounced Random Visit was carried out on 16th April 2010 by Suzanne McKean, Regulatory Inspector. The visit was started at 12 mid-day and was completed by 13:45pm. During the visit we looked around the home, spoke to the residents and their visitors and spoke to the staff on duty. We also looked at some of the records being kept including care plans and the records being kept around staffing. What the care home does well: The service has a competent and experienced Manager who ensures that the residents are delivered a service which meets their needs. This is monitored through the Quality Assurance process involving a number of guest and relative surveys as well as senior managers reports. There are also a number of audits carried out on a regular basis. The information we have received from the home since the last inspection suggests that they work well with other organisations and authorities and seek advice from others if they need to. Staff in the care home are attentive and pleasant, the atmosphere was very calm with good interactions between the residents, relatives and the staff. Generally the residents seemed content and were receiving appropriate care in a way that protected their privacy and dignity. Those residents spoken who were able to express their views talked about the staff in a very positive way and were confident that they are well supported and cared for. During the visit the staff on duty included a two Registered Nurses who were very helpful but busy with people living in the home and were organising the team in an effective way. There were four care staff on each of the units who were working hard to make sure that the residents were safe and comfortable. The relatives / representatives were very complementary about the care delivered and were forcefully in their appreciation of the way that people are supported, one described that their relative was very well cared for. The care plans examined contained a very good admission record using the services documentation. Good risk assessments are completed which are up to date and very detailed. All records were up to date, detailed and specific to the person. The amount of amendments suggesting that they are reviewed and changed regularly to show the changing health and social care needs of the individual. There was particularly good information on the residents challenging behavior. Of the ten relative surveys we sent out two were returned. They were very complementary including comment such as the staff at Pinetree Lodge are very caring and work hard and the interaction with dementia patients is good and the staff are friendly. One relative spoken to was very happy with the care and said that the care staff and the nurses were really helpful. Another said that they had confidence that they will look after their relative, however they thought the home was sometimes short staffed as there were Care Homes for Older People Page 4 of 8 times when the staff were too busy. This was discussed with the manager and senior staff and it was confirmed that there had been some staffing issues around sickness. This is being dealt with and additional staff have been employed. Also the staffing numbers have now been increased to have two additional care staff (one per unit) at peak times of activity. A number of the residents are very dependent and present with some challenging behaviors. One carer was observed spending time assisting a resident to eat as he sat on a chair on one of the corridors, she was very patient and supportive. The meal time observed was well organised and residents were being encouraged to be independent where possible. The meal being served was fish and chips which had been brought in from the chip shop. Chocolate pudding was being served for desert. The home now has a catering assistant employed. She has a good understanding of the importance of nutrition and making individual meals for those people who need something different due to their nutritional needs or if they were unwell and wanted something specific to tempt them to eat. Some decoration has been carried out and there new pictures on the wall and there have been a number of carpets replaced. Relatives were complementary about the changes made. Additional improvements to the decoration are planned including the carpets and further decoration. Some of the residents have been on a recent trip out to Rothbury, there are plans in place for further trips when the weather improves. What they could do better: If you want to know what action the person responsible for this care home is taking following this report, you can contact them using the details set out on page 2. Care Homes for Older People Page 5 of 8 Are there any outstanding requirements from the last inspection? Yes £ No R Outstanding statutory requirements These are requirements that were set at the previous inspection, but have still not been met. They say what the registered person had to do to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, Regulations 2001 and the National Minimum Standards. No. Standard Regulation Requirement Timescale for action Care Homes for Older People Page 6 of 8 Requirements and recommendations from this inspection: Immediate requirements: These are immediate requirements that were set on the day we visited this care home. The registered person had to meet these within 48 hours. No. Standard Regulation Requirement Timescale for action Statutory requirements These requirements set out what the registered person must do to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, Regulations 2001 and the National Minimum Standards. The registered person(s) must do this within the timescales we have set. No. Standard Regulation Requirement Timescale for action Recommendations These recommendations are taken from the best practice described in the National Minimum Standards and the registered person(s) should consider them as a way of improving their service. No Refer to Standard Good Practice Recommendations Care Homes for Older People Page 7 of 8 Reader Information Document Purpose: Author: Audience: Further copies from: Inspection Report Care Quality Commission General Public 0870 240 7535 (telephone order line) Our duty to regulate social care services is set out in the Care Standards Act 2000. Copies of the National Minimum Standards –Care Homes for Older People can be found at www.dh.gov.uk or got from The Stationery Office (TSO) PO Box 29, St Crispins, Duke Street, Norwich, NR3 1GN. Tel: 0870 600 5522. Online ordering from the Stationery Office is also available: www.tso.co.uk/bookshop Helpline: Telephone: 03000 616161 Email: enquiries@cqc.org.uk Web: www.cqc.org.uk We want people to be able to access this information. If you would like a summary in a different format or language please contact our helpline or go to our website. © Care Quality Commission 2010 This publication may be reproduced in whole or in part in any format or medium for noncommercial purposes, provided that it is reproduced accurately and not used in a derogatory manner or in a misleading context. The source should be acknowledged, by showing the publication title and © Care Quality Commission 2010. Care Homes for Older People Page 8 of 8 - Please note that this information is included on www.bestcarehome.co.uk under license from the regulator. Re-publishing this information is in breach of the terms of use of that website. Discrete codes and changes have been inserted throughout the textual data shown on the site that will provide incontrovertable proof of copying in the event this information is re-published on other websites. The policy of www.bestcarehome.co.uk is to use all legal avenues to pursue such offenders, including recovery of costs. You have been warned!