The inspection took place on 16 February 2017. The inspection was unannounced.

Rose Lodge is a residential care home based at Cobblers Hall in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham. The home provides personal care for older people and people living with dementia. It is situated close to a wide range of local amenities and transport links. On the day of our inspection there were 52 people using the service.

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

We last inspected the service in February 2015 and rated the service as ‘Good.’ At this inspection we found the service remained ‘Good’ and met all the fundamental standards we inspected against.

The atmosphere of the service was lively with lots going on but at the same time homely. Relatives told us the service was very welcoming. People who used the service and their relatives that we spoke with told us they felt the service had a friendly approach.

Without exception we saw staff interacting with people in a person centred and caring way. We spent time observing the support that took place in the service. We saw that people were always respected by staff and treated with kindness. We saw staff being considerate and communicating with people well.

We saw that people were encouraged to enhance their wellbeing on a daily basis to take part in activities that encouraged and maximised their independence and also contributed positively to the atmosphere of the service.

We spoke with a range of different team members; care, kitchen staff, activity staff, domestics and volunteers who told us they all felt well supported and that the registered manager was supportive, and they were all polite, receptive, open and approachable. We also spoke with the registered provider’s visiting quality assurance manager and a student who was on their placement at the service.

Throughout the day we saw that people who used the service, relatives and staff were comfortable, relaxed and had an extremely positive rapport with the registered manager and also with each other.

From looking at people’s care plans we saw they were written in plain English and in a person centred way and they were in the process of including a ‘one page profile’ that made use ofpersonal history and described individual’s care, treatment and support needs. These were regularly reviewed and included family members and people in the process.

Care plans contained risk assessments. These identified risks and described the measures and interventions to be taken to ensure people were protected from the risk of harm. The care plans we viewed also showed us that people’s health was monitored and referrals were made to other health care professionals where necessary, for example: their GP, community nurse or optician.

Our observations during the inspection showed us that people who used the service were supported by sufficient numbers of staff to meet their individual needs and wishes in a person centred way.

When we looked at the staff training records, they showed us staff were supported and able to maintain and develop their skills through training and development opportunities were accessible at this service. The staff we spoke with confirmed they attended a range of valuable learning opportunities. They told us they had regular supervisions and appraisals with the registered manager, where they had the opportunity to discuss their care practice and identify further mandatory and vocational training needs. We also viewed records that showed us there were robust recruitment processes in place.

We observed how the service administered medicines and how they did this safely. We looked

In this report the name of a registered manager appears who was not in post and not managing the regulatory activities at this location at the time of the inspection. Their name appears because they were still a Registered Manager on our register at the time.

As part of this scheduled inspection we followed up on a compliance action set at the previous inspection in August 2012. We found improvements had been made in this area.

People who used the service were given appropriate information and support regarding their care or treatment. One person said "It’s alright here, the staff are great. I’ve got no complaints.” Other people said they were happy to be living at Rose Lodge.

People told us they were happy with the care and support they received. One person told us "I’m very well looked after” and another person said “I’m quite happy as it is.” Everybody we spoke with was well presented and looked well cared for.

People said their rooms were kept clean and they were happy with the standard of cleanliness throughout the home.

People were very complimentary about the staff. Comments about the staff included “The girls (staff) are really great”, “Talking to them (the staff) is a big help. If I needed anything, they’d help me” and “The staff’s manner is great – we have a daft carry on.”

The provider had an effective system to regularly assess and monitor the quality of service that people received.

People told us what it was like to live at this home and described how they were

treated by staff and their involvement in making choices about their care. They

also told us about the quality and choice of food and drink available. This was

because this inspection was part of a themed inspection programme to assess

whether older people living in care homes are treated with dignity and respect

and whether their nutritional needs are met.

The inspection team was led by a CQC inspector joined by an “expert by

experience” (people who have experience of using services and who can provide

that perspective).

This inspection took place on 17 December 2014 and was unannounced. This meant the staff and provider did not know we would be visiting.

Rose Lodge provides care and accommodation for up to 54 people, including people living with dementia. On the day of our inspection there were 48 people using the service.

The home did not have a registered manager in place as the registered manager had recently left the service. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) 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. A new manager was in post and was in the process of registering with CQC at the time of our inspection.

Rose Lodge was last inspected by CQC on 17 April 2013 and was compliant.

There were sufficient numbers of staff on duty in order to meet the needs of people using the service. The provider had an effective recruitment and selection procedure in place and carried out relevant checks when they employed staff.

Staff were aware of their responsibilities with regard to protecting vulnerable people and training records we looked at showed that staff were up to date with safeguarding training.

Training records were up to date and staff received regular supervisions and appraisals, which meant that staff were properly supported to provide care to people who used the service.

We saw in the care records consent was obtained for sharing information, photography, agreement with care plan reviews and care plan participation. All of the records we saw had been signed apart from one, which was for a person who was recently admitted to the home.

CQC monitors the operation of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) which applies to care homes. The Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) are part of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. They aim to make sure that people in care homes, hospitals and supported living are looked after in a way that does not inappropriately restrict their freedom. We discussed DoLS with the manager and looked at records. We found the provider was following the requirements in the DoLS.

People who used the service, and family members, were complimentary about the standard of care at Rose Lodge. They told us, “It’s lovely”, “she’s been here seven years and we couldn’t be happier” and “they are very caring”.

Staff talked to people in a polite and respectful manner, were responsive to people and interacted well and treated people with care and compassion.

Care records showed people’s needs were assessed before they moved into Rose Lodge and care plans were written in a person centred way.

We saw a copy of the provider’s complaints policy and procedure and saw that complaints were fully investigated and responded to.

The provider had a robust quality assurance system in place and gathered information about the quality of their service from a variety of sources.