Foresters Lodge

“People experienced care that was kind, respectful and generally person centred. Staff knew people well and interactions were warm and compassionate, with people appearing relaxed and comfortable in their presence. People and relatives spoke positively about staff attitudes and the caring culture. People were supported to maintain choice and independence, including around daily routines, meals and activities, and staff respected people’s wishes when they declined care.”

“However, there were significant shortfalls in safety and consistency of practice. The service was in breach of Regulations in relation to unsafe medicines management, including poor storage, expired items and incomplete records, which increased the risk of avoidable harm. Infection prevention and control practices were not consistently effective, environmental risks were not always well managed, and staffing pressures affected responsiveness, particularly on the first day of inspection. Governance systems had not reliably identified or addressed these issues, despite audits and monitoring being in place.”

“Leadership was caring and approachable, and managers responded to concerns raised during the inspection, with some improvements made promptly. Staff felt supported and able to speak up. However, managers did not always ensure learning was embedded or that standards were applied consistently across the service. Overall, Foresters Lodge had a strong caring ethos and positive relationships, but required improvement to ensure safe, effective and consistent care for everyone.”