Random inspection report
Care homes for older people
Name: Address: Avon Lodge Care Centre Southey Avenue Kingswood Bristol BS15 1QT two star good service 13/01/2009 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: Sandra Garrett Date: 1 6 0 9 2 0 0 9 Information about the care home
Name of care home: Address: Avon Lodge Care Centre Southey Avenue Kingswood Bristol BS15 1QT 01179474370 01179474377 avonlodge@lifestylecare.co.uk Telephone number: Fax number: Email address: Provider web address: Name of registered provider(s): Type of registration: Number of places registered: Conditions of registration: Category(ies) : Life Style Care (2005) Plc care home 62 Number of places (if applicable): Under 65 Over 65 0 20 dementia old age, not falling within any other category Conditions of registration: 42 0 The maximum number of service users who can be accommodated is 62. The registered person may provide the following category of service only: Care home with Nursing - Code N to service users of either gender whose primary care needs on admission to the home are within the following categories: Dementia (Code DE) maximum of 42 places Old age, not falling within any other category (Code OP) maximum of 20 places Date of last inspection Brief description of the care home Avon Lodge Care Centre was registered in July 2008. Its owned and run by Life Style Care plc that has been established for over twenty years. The company has many homes nationwide and has lots of experience in running care homes for people with dementia. The aim of the home is to provide a high quality service based on principles
Care Homes for Older People Page 2 of 8 1 3 0 1 2 0 0 9 Brief description of the care home of person-centred care, respecting individual choice and dignity. Avon Lodge is located in an area close to Kingswood High street. It can accommodate sixty-two people. Forty-two will have a diagnosis of dementia and the remaining twenty will need general nursing care. The home is set out over three floors. The ground floor is for nursing care and the two upper floors for people with dementia. Each bedroom has its own en-suite toilet and washing facilities. In addition there are several well appointed bathrooms with the most up to date bathing equipment. Other facilities include dining rooms, activity rooms, a hairdressing room and a snoozelen (a specialised relaxation room to help people with dementia). It should be noted that Life Style Care operates a no smoking policy in each of their new homes. This means that people who smoke will only be able to do so outside of the building. This information is included in the Statement of Purpose. Fees payable are between £550 (as a baseline for nursing care) and £580 pounds (for dementia care). Exact amounts payable are worked out following the assessment of need and whether people are entitled to help with nursing or continuing care contributions. People funded through the Local Authority have a financial assessment carried out in accordance with Fair Access to Care Services procedures. Local Authority fees payable are determined by individual need and circumstances. General information about fees and fair terms of contracts can be accessed from the Office of Fair Trading web site at www.oft.gov.uk /www.oft.gov.uk Care Homes for Older People Page 3 of 8 What we found:
We spent 5 and a half hours at the home. This was to follow up complaints and safeguarding issues, and case track two peoples care. As part of case-tracking, we looked at both social services and the homes own assessments. Both were in place and gave information on peoples needs and care. The homes own assessments are done by either the manager or her deputy and were thorough and comprehensive. Assessments detailed particular needs such as behaviours, diet, medication, mobility and care plans developed following admission picked up all needs. All care plans were detailed with separate sheets for each care need, with action plans and evaluation records. Risk assessments were also seen for both moving and handling and specific issues such as falling, falling out of bed, use of bedrails, mobility and behaviours that challenge. Detailed care records are kept in the nurses office and mini care plans are kept in each persons room. We looked at both. The mini ones have more detail about daily care practice including bathing and weighing etc. Relatives can look at the plans and one we spoke to was clear about whether the persons care needs were being met or not. We looked at risk assessments and checked whether there were any restraint issues as some people need bedrails (to stop them falling from bed) or belts on wheelchairs (to stop them falling out). We were satisfied that no-one was being inappropriately restrained and risk assessments clearly covered the above issues. However, decisions about when and in what circumstances to offer a wheelchair to a person with mobility difficulties werent recorded in enough detail. This meant we were unclear about how such decisions are made in the best interests of people with dementia. The manager and her deputy are proactive about handling both complaints and safeguarding adults from abuse issues. However we did find a lack of communication between people complaining and home staff. This was also the case with documentation of outcomes of complaints investigations. We found that the home still gives good quality outcomes to people living there. Therefore our findings from this inspection dont change our opinion of the service which is currently rated as 2 stars - good. What the care home does well:
Clear assessment information makes sure staff at the home know what peoples care needs are and how to meet them. People are treated with dignity and respect wherever possible even though they may lack capacity to make decisions for themselves. Care given to people is in their best interests and evidence was available to support this. All concerns and complaints are taken seriously. The manager and her deputy are
Care Homes for Older People Page 4 of 8 proactive about handling both these and safeguarding adults from abuse issues. All incidents are dealt with promptly and changes are made where necessary that will improve peoples quality of life and keep them safe. The home is purpose built, homely and extremely clean and hygienic. Staff are available in such numbers as to meet peoples dependency levels and care needs. A healthcare professional had filled in one of our surveys and commented: Clean and well decorated, friendly staff and good interactive activities for residents. The manager and deputy are both skilled and experienced at meeting peoples needs. Evidence showed that they are keen to put peoples needs first and take action to improve life wherever necessary. 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 1 37 Where significant changes are made to care plans, these should be properly documented to show the reason for the change and who was involved in making it. This will make sure that decisions are made in the best interests of people living at the home. 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. Copyright © (2009) Care Quality Commission (CQC). This publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, free of charge, in any format or medium provided that it is not used for commercial gain. This consent is subject to the material being reproduced accurately and on proviso that it is not used in a derogatory manner or misleading context. The material should be acknowledged as CQC copyright, with the title and date of publication of the document specified. 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!
