Longwood Lodge is a 'care home'. People in care homes receive accommodation and personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided and both were looked at during this inspection. Longwood Lodge is a detached victorian property which overlooks Alexandra park in Oldham. It has been adapted and extended to provide accommodation for up to 40 people. At the time of our inspection there were 39 people living at the home.

At our last inspection in May 2016 we rated the service good overall, although we found one breach of the Health and Social Care Act. This was because the required Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DOLs) were not in place. At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the service was no longer in breach of the regulations. We found the evidence continued to support the rating of good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

Systems remained in place to help safeguard people from abuse. Staff had a good understanding of safeguarding procedures, how to identify signs of abuse and what action they would take to protect people in their care. Risk assessments had been completed to show how people should be supported with everyday risks, such as risks with their mobility.

Recruitment checks had been carried out on all staff to ensure that they were suitable to work in a care setting with vulnerable people. There were sufficient numbers of appropriately trained staff on duty to respond to people’s needs promptly. Staff received regular supervision which ensured that the standard of their work was monitored.

The home was well-maintained, clean and decorated to a good standard. There were effective infection control and prevention measures within the service. Checks and servicing of equipment, such as for the gas, electricity and hoists were up-to-date.

Medicines were safely administered by staff who had received appropriate training. The service had recently introduced an electronic medicines management system which enabled the management team to have clear oversight of how staff administered medicines and helped easily identify medicines errors.

The service was working within the principles of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005 and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS).

Staff interacted with people in a warm and caring way and respected people’s privacy and dignity when supporting them. Staff worked closely with health and social care professionals to ensure people were supported to maintain good health. People were supported to eat a well-balanced diet and were offered choice and variety. Meals were provided by an external catering company and cooked on site by the kitchen staff.

The service operated an electronic care documentation system. Care plans and risk assessments were person-centred, and reflected the needs of each individual.

The service had a formal process for handling complaints and concerns. We saw that complaints had been dealt with appropriately.

There was strong, committed leadership from the registered manager and home owners and staff told us they felt supported by the management team. Audits and quality checks were undertaken on a regular basis to ensure standards were maintained and any issues or concerns addressed with appropriate actions.

Say when the inspection took place and whether the inspection was announced or unannounced. Where relevant, describe any breaches of legal requirements at your last inspection, and if so whether improvements have been made to meet the relevant requirement(s).

Provide a brief overview of the service (e.g. Type of care provided, size, facilities, number of people using it, whether there is or should be a registered manager etc).

N.B. If there is or should be a registered manager include this statement to describe what a registered manager is:

‘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.’

Give a summary of your findings for the service, highlighting what the service does well and drawing attention to areas where improvements could be made. Where a breach of regulation has been identified, summarise, in plain English, how the provider was not meeting the requirements of the law and state ‘You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of the report.’ Please note that the summary section will be used to populate the CQC website. Providers will be asked to share this section with the people who use their service and the staff that work at there.

When we inspected Longwood Lodge in November 2013 we found that accurate and appropriate records were not always maintained. Following that inspection the provider wrote to us and told us that they would address the areas that we had brought to their attention. During this inspection we found that they had done so.

We saw that the provider had implemented a computerised care management system. Staff had received training on operation of the system and it was now used to maintain peoples’ personal details and the records of all aspects of their care. For example, their care plans, risk assessments, daily notes and vital observations.

The programme automatically scheduled a monthly review of each person’s care records and a visual prompt appeared in the manager’s diary as a reminder the task was due. Each member of staff had a password to enter the system and this created an audit trail.

The provider had systems in place to ensure that they were able to act in accordance with any advance decisions a person had taken about their care or the handling of their affairs.

During our inspection we spoke with three people living at the home, two relatives and three members of staff.

The provider had a policy in place in relation to the Mental Capacity Act 2005 which provided some instruction and guidance to staff on compliance. Arrangements were in place for staff to attend training on the subject.

A relative of one person living at the home told us that they were “absolutely confident that [their relative] was being looked after and that their needs were being met”. A member of staff told us that the provider “really does put the residents first”.

One person living at the home told us the meals were “very good” and said that they thought there was a good variety of food on the menus.

Staff told us that people living at the home had responded positively to the programme of refurbishment work that was taking place. One care worker said that the provider “really does put the residents first and there have been vast improvements to the home”.

Staff spoke positively about their work. One said the provider rightly had “very high standards” and that they were “well supported” by management in carrying out their role.

We looked at the care records of four people living at the home and we found that some were not accurate.

At the time of our visit, there were 38 people living at the home and we heard that a further two people were expected later that day. We saw that the people staying at the home had complex nursing and personal health care needs and some people also had dementia type illness.

We spoke with three people staying at the home, two care assistants, the manager and the owner. People receiving a service were unable to tell us in detail about their experiences of living there but one person said “The staff are very nice, you can have a banter with them” and “I like it here. When I first came here, I couldn’t walk. I am walking now”.

People confirmed their privacy and dignity were respected. They told us they were satisfied that their health care needs were met.

One person told us they had seen their care records and another person said “If I am unhappy about anything I tell someone about it and they [the staff] sort it out.”

Staff told us they were trained and felt supported to do their job

We saw that the furniture and fittings in the home were being renewed. People told us they were happy with the improvements being made.