The inspection of Langdale Lodge took place on 17 July 2018 and it was unannounced. Langdale Lodge is a 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. The home provides care across two floors and has communal rooms that people can use. There are quieter spaces for people to meet families and friends privately and an accessible garden. It is a care home for 27 older people and at the time of our inspection 25 people were living there.

This was Langdale Lodge’s first inspection under a new registration. Their registration changed in April 2017.

There was a registered manager in post. 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 was also a management team in place who were responsible for the day to day running of the home. They ensured that the systems which were in place to drive quality improvement were completed and actions embedded. They also gained feedback from people who used the service and used this to make changes. There were good relationships with other organisations and professionals.

Staff received regular supervision and training to enable them to do their job well. There were enough staff to meet people’s needs promptly and safe recruitment procedures were followed to ensure they were suitable to support people. People were kept safe by staff who understood their responsibilities to detect and report abuse. They had developed caring, respectful relationships with people and ensured their dignity and privacy were upheld.

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. They were supported to maintain good health and had regular access to healthcare professionals. Mealtimes were not rushed and people were given a choice of meal. We saw that food and drink was regularly provided and records were maintained for people who were nutritionally at risk. Care plans were regularly reviewed to correspond with changing support needs and they were personalised and accessible.

People were encouraged to pursue interests and hobbies and regular activities were planned. Visitors were welcomed at any time. People knew the managers and felt confident that any concerns they raised would be resolved promptly. There were regular meetings with people and their relatives and surveys were carried out; the feedback was used to improve the home.

Risk was assessed and actions were put in place to reduce it. The effectiveness of the action taken was monitored and regularly reviewed. Lessons were learnt when things went wrong to reduce the likelihood of it happening again. There were systems in the home to keep it clean and free from infection. Medicines were managed to reduce the risks associated with them and people received them when they needed them.