This inspection took place on the 9 November 2017 and was unannounced. At the previous inspection of this service in March 2015 the service was rated as Good overall. We rated it as Requires Improvement in the Safe question and made three recommendations. During this inspection we found all the recommendations had been addressed and the service remains rated as Good.

Eastwood Lodge is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection. Eastwood Lodge accommodates 19 people in one adapted building. 17 people were using the service at the time of our inspection.

The service had a registered manager in place. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission 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.

There were enough staff working at the service to meet people’s needs and robust staff recruitment procedures were in place. Appropriate safeguarding procedures were in place to help protect people from abuse. Risk assessments provided information about how to support people in a safe manner. Procedures were in place to reduce the risk of the spread of infection. Medicines were managed in a safe manner.

People’s needs were assessed before they started using the service to determine if those needs could be met. Staff received on-going training to support them in their role. People were able to make choices for themselves and the service operated within the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. People told us they enjoyed the food. People were supported to access relevant health care professionals.

People told us they were treated with respect and that staff were caring. Staff had a good understanding of how to promote people’s privacy, independence and dignity.

Care plans were in place which set out how to meet people’s individual needs. Care plans were subject to regular review. People were supported to engage in various activities. The service had a complaints procedure in place and people knew how to make a complaint.

Staff and people spoke positively about the senior staff at the service. Quality assurance and monitoring systems were in place which included seeking the views of people who used the service.

People’s needs were assessed and care and treatment was planned and delivered in line with their individual care plan. People told us they were happy with the care and support they received at the service. A relative said "they are so caring in here, nothing is too much trouble." We found that care plans were in place which set out how to meet the individual and assessed needs of people. People had access to health care professionals including GP's and speech and language therapists. People were supported to be able to eat and drink sufficient amounts to meet their needs and they were provided with a choice of suitable and nutritious food and drink. People we spoke with told us they had enough to eat and that they were provided with a choice of food and drink. One person said "they fetch round a card and ask you to pick the food you want."

We found that the service had procedures in place for dealing with complaints and safeguarding issues. Staff we spoke with were knowledgeable about how to respond to any safeguarding allegations. We found the service was staffed in sufficient numbers to meet people's needs.

People who used the service told us that they liked living at the home and that the staff were caring. One person told us that they would complain to the manager if they were unhappy about anything at the home. They told us that they were able to choose their activities and had a choice of meals. One person said, “I liked it here from the time I came. It is here I want to stay, I am happy.” “The staff ask me what I want, they are very nice to me. Yes they give me my medicine on time.” A member of staff we spoke to said, “ This is a homely place, everyone has a choice and they are well looked after.”

A relative spoken to said, “I have been involved in drawing up my mother’s care plan and I think they look after her well.”

People told us that they liked the staff and the food was nice. One person told us that they would complain to the manager if they were unhappy at the home. People get to choose their activities and meals. One person said,” Everything I need I have here”. “Staff are helpful, they fetch me whatever I need”. Another person said, “I am very comfortable here”. We noted that people interacted positively with the staff who understood their needs.

Relatives spoken to said, “we feel she is being well looked after”. “They are very good”.

This unannounced inspection took place over two days on 23 and 24 March 2015.

Eastwood Lodge is a 19 bed care home providing accommodation and care for older people, including people living with dementia. The service is accessible throughout for people with mobility difficulties. 17 people were using the service when we visited.

The service had a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run. The registered manager was also the registered provider of the service.

During this inspection, we found that the arrangements for managing medicines were satisfactory. However we have made a recommendation to improve this and to ensure that staff have information to enable them to make decisions about when to give certain medicines.

At most times staffing levels were sufficient to safely and effectively meet people’s needs. However, we have made a recommendation that staffing levels at weekends be reviewed to ensure that people’s needs are safely and effectively met at all times.

People used a service that was clean and suitable for their needs.

Staff received the training and support needed to provide a safe service that met people’s needs.

Staff supported people to make choices about their care and systems were in place to ensure that their human rights were protected and that they were not unlawfully deprived of their liberty.

There were systems in place to monitor the quality of service provided. This supported people to receive a service that was effective and responsive to their needs.

We saw that staff supported people patiently and with care and encouraged them to do things for themselves. Staff knew people’s likes, dislikes and needs. They provided care in a respectful way.

People and their relatives told us that Eastwood Lodge was a safe place to be. One relative said, “Everything is fine. [My relative] is very safe there.”

People were happy with the meals that they received. We saw that people’s nutritional needs were met. If there were concerns about their eating, drinking or weight, this was discussed with the GP. Any support and advice from healthcare professionals was followed by staff in order to maintain people’s well-being.

People were happy to talk to the manager and to raise any concerns they had. They told us that the management team were “good.”