Alpine Lodge

Updated 20 February 2024

Alpine Lodge is a nursing home providing accommodation and personal care to older people, some of whom are living with dementia. The service can support up to 67 people. At the time of this assessment there were 52 people living at Alpine Lodge. We rated this service under our previous methodology on 15 June 2023, where it was inspected and rated requires improvement overall. We carried out this assessment on 8 May 2024. We looked at all the quality statements under the key questions, Safe, Effective and Well-led. We also looked at the following quality statements, Independence, choice and control and Equity in experiences and outcomes. At this assessment we found three breaches of the legal regulations in relation to Safe care and treatment, Staffing and Good governance. We found concerns relating to management of medicines, infection control and the management of people's individual risk. Our findings showed some people were not given choices, or consulted and some support was very task orientated. People were not always encouraged to be as independent as possible. The provider had appointed a new manager and the peripatetic manager was based at the service to support. More robust systems were being implemented to monitor the quality of the service. However, we found some areas were not identified as part of this monitoring. The culture at the service required some improvement so people received person-centred care. The peripatetic manager understood the challenges and was transparent and open in their approach. The management were trying to improve things. We found the provider had not taken sufficient action to improve the service since our last inspection. The service continues to be rated requires improvement overall. We have asked the provider for an action plan in response to the concerns found at this assessment.

Updated 20 February 2024

Most people told us they felt safe. One person did not feel safe because they had to wait a long time for staff to respond to their calls for assistance. Relatives spoken with felt their family member was safe. However, they shared concerns about the number of agency staff at the service. They told us this impacted on the quality of care provided to their family member. We received mixed views about staffing levels. Some people felt there was enough staff whilst others shared concerns about the staffing levels. One relative said “There is not enough staff definitely. Some staff are better than others. There is a lot of agency staff.” Most of the people and relatives spoken with felt the service was not particularly well managed. They didn’t know the manager, didn’t know who to raise issues with and did not feel listened to. We received mixed views from people and relatives about the quality of care provided. Our findings showed some people were not given choices, or consulted and some support was very task orientated. People were not always encouraged to be as independent as possible. People were not protected from the risk of infection as the service had not been kept clean. Staff did not encourage people to wash hands or change clothes when stained and dirty. People had individual risk assessments in place. However, people’s risks were not always managed effectively. People made positive comments about the quality of food. However, some people’s nutrition and hydration needs were not always being met. Hydration and snack stations were not stocked when we did a tour of the service. These were stocked up and drinks placed on units during our site visit. Most people spoken with made positive comments about the staff. Comments included, “They [staff] understand me and my needs, they certainly do. They are all lovely” and “The staff have been nice to me and yes pleasant. The staff always treat me with respect and dignity.”