This inspection took place on 2 October 2017 and was unannounced.

This inspection was the first for this newly named service with its new provider. The home required a registered manager and there was one 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.

The registered manager (who was also the new provider) of this service had been the home manager of the previous home and many of the staff still worked the newly registered home. This meant that people received support and continuity of care from staff who were familiar with their needs and who knew them well.

The Lodge Care Home is in a large detached period house situated in a quiet suburban area in Hoylake. It is close to local shops and near to local public transport. The home provides residential accommodation for up to 18 people with personal care needs. At the time of our inspection, there were 18 people living there.

The home has 18 large bedrooms, all with en-suite facilities and is arranged over three floors with passenger lift access. The home has been re-furbished by the new provider and the accommodation is light, clean and has a homely feel to it. People have personalised their own rooms and these had been decorated to their choice.

The provider had employed additional staff. The home was clean and tidy and smelt pleasant . The buildings maintenance was carried out by a team of tradespersons which the provider had immediate access, to if urgent work was needed.

The required safety checks on things such as gas, electrical, lifts and fire installations and equipment had all been carried out in a timely manner and any improvements suggested had been completed. The kitchen had a food hygiene rating of five, which is the highest rating attainable. A variety of food was prepared and served according to people’s needs and preferences.

People and their visitors told us that the home felt safe. They all told us that big improvements had been made at the service in the last year, since registration. They also told us that the staff were supportive and caring and that the manager was approachable and transparent.

Staff said they were well supported and trained and we saw that safe recruitment practices had been followed. Medication was correctly stored and administered and staff were trained in this area.

Staff were supervised on a regular basis and their yearly appraisal had been scheduled for October 2017.

The provider followed the Mental Capacity Act and its associated deprivation of liberties safeguards (DoLS). At the time of our inspection, there were no people living at The Lodge who were the subject of a DoLS.

Care plans were completed and regularly reviewed. They were person centred and contained risk assessments which had identified any risks to people’s safety and well-being.

People were able to participate in a wide variety of activities and their cultural and religious needs and preferences were respected and enabled.

The management had made changes to the way some aspects of the service had been run under the previous provider. There were still some improvements to make but there was a good rapport and understanding between staff and the managers and people living in the home and their visitors and relatives, told us that they appreciated the improvements.