Valley Lodge Care Home

This report from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) provides an overview of Valley Lodge Care Home following an inspection. The CQC assesses services against five key questions: Is it safe? Is it effective? Is it caring? Is it responsive? And is it well-led? This inspection aimed to assess the home's performance in these areas, with a particular focus on safety and management practices. The report details specific findings that led to the overall rating.

On safety, the home requires improvement. While robust security measures like CCTV and keypad entry are in place, there were significant concerns regarding water hygiene risk management, including a lack of legionella risk assessments. Furthermore, the management of controlled medicines needed improvement, with issues noted in auditing and record-keeping.

In terms of how effective the care is, improvements are needed. While staff received good training and supervision, and care plans were well-maintained electronically, there were instances where people were not always supported with maximum choice and control in their lives, and policies did not consistently reflect least restrictive practices. A specific concern was raised about one family member who experienced significant, unaddressed weight loss.

Regarding how caring the service is, the report indicates that while staff generally work well with residents, communication with relatives could be enhanced. There were also mixed views from health and social care professionals on the level of engagement from the provider.

Concerning how responsive the service is, improvements are necessary. Although the home is well-designed with areas for reminiscence, and staff generally understood their responsibilities, communication with relatives was an area identified for development.

Finally, on how well-led the service is, improvements are required. The management team provides support to staff, and the provider is aware of their duty of candour. However, ongoing breaches were identified regarding consent for the use of CCTV and photographs, and previous concerns about consent for care have not been fully resolved.