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.

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.

During our inspection visit to Devon Lodge we spoke with four people who used the service about the care and support that they received. They told us they were happy with their care. Their comments included “I feel really lucky to be here”, “I can manage most things myself, but they (staff) are always there when needed”.

People who used the service described staff as friendly and we found that staff respected the wishes of people who used the service and got their consent before providing care.

People who used the service told us they enjoyed their meals and we saw the lunch time meal was well presented and looked appetising.

Records showed that an assessment of people’s needs had been carried out and care plans based on the assessment informed staff about the care to be delivered. We found that in most cases care plans reflected the care people needed and had agreed. We saw that advice and treatment had been sought from relevant health professionals when people’s needs changed. We spoke with three carers, a senior carer and the cook. We found they were knowledgeable about the needs of people who used the service and their responsibilities in relation to the delivery of care.

Medication was safely managed and recruitment checks were sufficiently robust to guard against employing unsuitable staff.

We spoke with the manager and the business adviser. We found that Devon Lodge was well managed with systems in place to assess and monitor the quality of care.

We spoke with six people who used the service and they all confirmed that they liked living at Devon Lodge Residential Home. The comments we received from people were very complimentary of the staff and of the quality of the service they received. For example one person said, “I really do love it here; I don’t think there is any other care home that could match the level of care I receive here”. Another person said “The staff are terrific; they really do care and are always willing to go that extra mile”.

We saw that the staff related well with people who used the service, they worked at a relaxed pace and their interactions with people demonstrated that they valued and promoted the involvement of all people who used the service.

We found a schedule of daily activities was provided and that people were positively encouraged to engage in one to one and group activities. This meant that each person had the opportunities to participate in various activities and receive the support and encouragement they needed to lead fulfilling lives.

People told us that staff enabled them to promote their independence and individuality. They said that staff respected their privacy and dignity.

People said that they were registered with a general practitioner (GP) who visited the home if required. They told us that staff supported them with their medicines.

People told us that they were consulted about their food preferences and they were provided with drinks and snacks throughout the day and night.

People said that the home provided activities and they were consulted about their interests which were included in the activity programme.

People told us they were aware of whom to speak to if something was worrying them. They said that they felt safe living in the home.

People said that staff were kind, considerate, lovely, knowledgeable and helpful.

People told us that regular residents’ meetings were held and they and family members were asked to complete surveys.