The inspection took place on 6 May 2017 and was unannounced.

Alpine Lodge is a residential home providing care, rehabilitation and support for up to 20 people with mental health needs. Some people are detained under the Mental Health Act and are under supervision in the community.

At this inspection there were 15 people living at the service.

At the last inspection, the service was rated Good.

At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

Why the service is rated Good.

The service had 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.

On the day of the inspection staff were relaxed, and there was a calm, quiet atmosphere. Everybody had a clear role within the service. Information we requested was supplied promptly, records were organised, clear, easy to follow and comprehensive.

People were comfortable with staff supporting them and we observed positive interactions. Care records were in date, personalised and gave people control over aspects of their lives. Staff responded quickly when they noted changes to people’s mental or physical well-being contacting the appropriate health professionals for example people’s mental health nurses. People or where appropriate those who mattered to them, were involved in discussing people’s care needs and how they would like to be supported. People’s preferences for care and treatment were identified and respected.

Staff exhibited a kind and compassionate attitude towards people. Positive, caring relationships had been developed and practice was person focused and not task led. Staff had appreciation of how to respect people’s individual needs around their privacy and dignity.

People’s risks were managed well and monitored. People were promoted and encouraged to live full and active lives. Staff were thoughtful in finding ways to overcome obstacles that restricted people’s independence.

People had their medicines managed safely. People received their medicines as prescribed, received them on time and understood what they were for. People were supported to maintain good health through regular access to health and social care professionals, such as GPs, mental health nurses, social workers, occupational therapists and physiotherapists.

People we observed were safe. The environment was uncluttered and clear for people to move freely around the home. All staff had undertaken training on safeguarding vulnerable adults from abuse, they displayed good knowledge on how to report any concerns and described what action they would take to protect people against harm.

People were supported by staff that confidently made use of their knowledge of the Mental Capacity Act (2005), to make sure people were involved in decisions about their care and their human and legal rights were respected. The service followed the processes which were in place which protected people’s human rights and liberty.

People were supported by a staff team that had received a comprehensive induction programme, training for mental health conditions and ongoing support from the registered manager.

People were protected by the service’s safe recruitment practices. Staff underwent the necessary checks which determined they were suitable to work with vulnerable adults, before they started their employment.

The service had a policy and procedure in place for dealing with any concerns or complaints.

No written complaints had been made to the service in the past twelve months.

People and described the management to be supportive and approachable. Staff talked positively about their jobs. The registered manager was supported by a deputy manager and the provider.

There were effective q

We visited Alpine Lodge residential care home to look at the care and welfare of people who used the service.

We spoke with five people who use services. People were happy to talk with us about the personal circumstances that lead them to live at Alpine Lodge. One person said "if I had to go anywhere I'd always come here". Another person said "I am very happy here and have lived here for a long time". All the people we spoke with gave positive feedback about the service and said that the care staff respected their choices about the way that they wanted the care to be delivered.

We spoke with the manager, deputy and the two care staff on duty. The manager explained the ethos of the service to us and assisted us throughout the visit. We spoke with the two care staff about how they met people's needs and their own personal development. One member of staff said "this is a very good place to work".

We found that the home had an effective quality assurance system in place to assess and monitor quality of service and it's records. This meant that people received safe and appropriate care and treatment.

Records required by regulation for the protection of people and for the effective running of the business were maintained up to date and accurate.

There was recorded evidence in the care plans of the involvement of community health professionals and effective review procedures.

The home was last inspected by the Care Quality Commission in January 2012 and as a result improvements were required in relation to standards of treating people with respect, involving them in their care and providing care treatment and support which met people's needs. Improvements were also needed in relation to caring for people safely and protecting them from harm. During this inspection we followed up on the improvements required and found that the necessary action had been taken.

We spoke with five people, the manager and two carers. We spent time observing how people were cared for and lunch time and looked at four care plans. We checked how people were cared for at each stage of their treatment and care. On the day of our inspection we were told that 16 people were living at the home and receiving care from the service.

One person said “I like living here. It’s good. I like the staff.” All the people we spoke with were positive about their experience.

Care plans included the promotion of life skills such as cleaning, laundry and cooking and personal development goals. Staff gave examples of the progress people had made in their mental health recovery. Staff were proactive in involving the mental health team and had improved their practice regarding the safeguarding of vulnerable adults.

Medicines were safely managed. Staff were receiving appropriate support for their role and systems were in place to assess and monitor the quality of the service

One person said “it’s alright” when asked what they thought about the home and said “nothing much” when asked what they were doing today. They said “the food can be nice”. Another person described the home as “alright” and the staff as “ace”. They also said they had “nothing to complain about” and the best thing about the home was “the sky box and the music channels”. They went on to say that their room “was a bit small, but they didn’t need a big room”.

Another person described the home as “not a bad old place”. They liked the “showers, TV and radios and going out for walks”. One person described the home as “alright, cool” and said the food was “good” and they had a “good room”.

We spoke to one person who had lived at the home and now had occasional respite care. They said the home was “very well run and the manager was excellent”. The “food was very nice and they were well fed and kept”. They described the home as “clean” and the staff as “very helpful”.

The inspection took place on 29 and 30 January 2015 and was unannounced.

Alpine Lodge is a residential home providing care, rehabilitation and support for up to 20 people with mental health needs. Some people are detained under the Mental Health Act and are under supervision in the community. Alpine Lodge has 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 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

During the inspection people and staff appeared relaxed, there was a calm and pleasant atmosphere. Comments included; “I feel safe here and looked after”; “I’m happier here, staff are kind”; “Staff are very approachable and caring” and “The staff are nice.”

Care records were individualised and gave people control. Staff responded quickly to people’s change in needs. People were involved in identifying their needs and how they would like to be supported. People’s preferences were sought and respected. “I’ve been to lots of places like this – the staff are by far the best, they care and they always have time to talk to me.”

People’s risks were managed well and monitored. People were promoted to live full and active lives and were supported to be a part of the local community. Activities were varied and reflected people’s interests and individual hobbies.

People’s medicines were managed safely. People received their medicines as prescribed and on time. People were supported to maintain good health through regular access to healthcare professionals, such as GPs, mental health professionals (CPNs) and social workers.

People told us they felt safe. Comments “Yes, they keep me safe”; “Staff are very good at keeping me safe. They give me suggestions for when I’m feeling bad, get me out, distract me.”

People’s human and legal rights were respected. Staff understood their role with regards to the Mental Capacity Act (2005) (MCA) and the associated Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). Applications were made and advice was sought to help protect people and respect their human rights. All staff had undertaken training on safeguarding adults from abuse. Staff displayed good knowledge on how to report any concerns and described what action they would take to protect people against harm. Staff told us they felt confident any incidents or allegations would be fully investigated.

Staff described the management as very open, supportive and approachable. People told us the registered manager was a visible presence within the home. Staff talked positively about their jobs telling us they enjoyed their work and felt valued. The staff we met were caring, kind and compassionate.

Staff received a comprehensive induction programme. There were sufficient staff to meet people’s needs. Staff were appropriately trained and had the correct skills to carry out their roles effectively. One staff member said “I was supported throughout my induction and have since been supported to do my NVQ.”

There were effective quality assurance systems in place. Incidents were appropriately recorded, investigated and action taken to reduce the likelihood of reoccurrence. People knew how to raise a complaint if they had one. One person said “No complaints – I’d talk to staff if I had any.” Feedback from people, friends, relatives and staff was encouraged and positive. Learning from incidents, feedback and inspections were used to help drive improvements and ensure positive progress was made in the delivery of care and support provided by the home.

We found the home was clean and uncluttered. Infection control policies and procedures were followed.