This unannounced inspection took place on 9 and 16 October 2018.

Glenkindie Lodge Residential Home was registered by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) on the 2 November 2017 and this was the first time we had inspected this service.

Glenkindie Lodge Residential Home 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.

Glenkindie Lodge Residential Home provides care and support for up to 33 older people, some of who may be living with dementia. The premises had been adapted and consisted of two floors which included bedrooms, a main lounge, garden room, dining room and an activities room. At the time of our visit there were 26 people using the service.

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.

During this inspection we found that risks to people had not always been identified and managed safely. For example, where people were using thickener in their drinks because of a risk of choking, there were no risk management plans in place to cover the risk of choking or dehydration. One person had numerous falls from their bed, but there was no risk management in place to help reduce that risk.

Mobility assessments did not always demonstrate how moving and handling slings had been safely assessed for people. People shared slings but we found they were not always used correctly, for example, toileting slings were used for general moving and handling procedures, not toileting. Slings were not checked to make sure they were safe to be used. Some people using wheelchairs were at risk of sliding out and there were no management plans in place to reduce this risk.

Some bedrooms doors had been wedged open with different pieces of furniture which meant that people may be put at risk if there was a fire at the service. Not everyone living at the service had in place a personal emergency evacuation plans (PEEPS) to make sure they would get the help they needed in an emergency to keep them safe.

Quality assurance checks were not used effectively to bring about improvements to people’s care and support. Records management was confusing and disorganised and records could not always be accessed at the time of our inspection.

We found two breaches of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014.

You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of the report.

Improvements were required to ensure people were protected from the spread of infection and that the service followed best practice guidance. We found that people were sharing slings used for moving and handling.

Senior staff required further training in relation to the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and the process for making best interest decisions for people. Staff understood about safeguarding and the many different types of abuse. They knew how to report any concerns they may have. There had been ongoing recruitment by the provider to improve staffing numbers and the provider followed thorough recruitment procedures to ensure staff employed were suitable for their role.

People’s medicines were managed safely and in line with best practice guidelines. There were arrangements in place for the service to make sure that action was taken and lessons learned when things went wrong, to improve safety across the service. These needed to be strengthened to make sure that the outcomes of accidents, incidents and complaints were shared with all staff to ensure lessons were learnt to reduce the possib