Laburnum Lodge is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and 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. Laburnum Lodge is registered to provide personal care and accommodation for up to 22 people. At the time of the inspection there 21 people living in the home.

This unannounced inspection was carried out on the 3 May 2018.

At the time of the inspection there was not a registered manager in place. However, the manager was submitting an application to become registered. 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.

People are supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff support them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service support this practice.

There was a quality assurance process in place which included obtaining the views of people that lived in the home, their relatives and the staff. However the system had not always been effective in identifying areas for improvement.

Medicines were in the main managed safely. Staff received training and competency checks before administering medicines unsupervised. Medicines were stored securely. The records were not always an accurate reflection of medicines people had received.

Staff were aware of how to keep people safe from harm and what procedures they should follow to report any harm. Action had been taken to minimise the risks to people. Risk assessments identified risks and mainly provided staff with the information they needed to reduce risks were possible.

Staff were only employed after they had completed a thorough recruitment procedure. There were enough staff on shift to ensure that people had their needs met in a timely manner. Staff received the training they required to meet people's needs and were supported in their roles.

Staff were motivated to provide care that was kind and compassionate. They knew people well and were aware of their history, preferences, likes and dislikes. People's privacy and dignity were respected.

People were supported to maintain good health as staff had the knowledge and skills to support them. There was prompt access to external healthcare professionals when needed.

People were provided with a choice of food and drink that they enjoyed. When needed staff supported people to eat and drink.

There was a varied programme of activities including activities held in the service, trips out and entertainers that came into the home.

Care plans gave staff the information they required to meet people’s basic care and support needs. Some areas of the care plans would benefit from more detailed information. People received support in the way that they preferred and met their individual needs.

There was a complaints procedure in place. People and their relatives felt confident to raise any concerns either with the staff or manager. Complaints had been dealt with appropriately.