Background to this inspection
Updated
28 September 2018
We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.
This inspection took place on the 31 August 2018 and 4 September 2018 and was unannounced. The inspection was completed by one inspector.
We reviewed information that we hold about the service such as safeguarding information and notifications. Notifications are the events happening in the service that the provider is required to tell us about. We used this information to plan what areas we were going to focus on during our inspection.
During the inspection, we used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us.
We spoke with four people who used the service, three members of staff and the registered manager. We reviewed three people’s care files, three staff recruitment files and an additional three members of staff’s supervision and appraisal records. We also looked at the service’s arrangements for the management of medicines, staff training records, complaints and compliments information and quality monitoring and audit information.
Updated
28 September 2018
At our previous inspection to the service on 21 and 22 August 2017, there were two breaches of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. This referred specifically to appropriate arrangements not being in place to recruit staff safely. Additionally, not all staff had attained up-to-date training or received an induction, supervision or appraisal of their overall performance. The overall assessment rated the service ‘Requires Improvement’. The registered manager submitted an action plan detailing the steps they had or were taking to address the concerns found in August 2017.
This inspection took place on 31 August 2018 and 4 September 2018. We checked to see that the registered provider had made the required improvements. We found that the required improvements had been made and the service was now compliant with regulatory requirements of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014.
Southend Blind Welfare Organisation is a care home. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.
Southend Blind Welfare Organisation is registered to provide accommodation with personal care for up to 25 older people, people living with a visual impairment and others who may live with dementia related needs. Southend Blind Welfare Organisation is a large detached property situated in a quiet residential area in Westcliff on Sea and close to all amenities. The premises are set out on two floors with each person using the service having their own individual bedroom and adequate communal facilities are available for people to make use of within the service. There were 15 people receiving a service at the time of our inspection.
The service had a registered manager 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.
Our key findings across all the areas we inspected were as follows:
Suitable arrangements were in place to keep people safe. Policies and procedures were followed by staff to safeguard people and staff understood these measures and the actions to take if abuse was suspected. Risks to people were identified and managed to prevent people from receiving unsafe care and support. The service was appropriately staffed to meet the needs of the people using the service. People received their medication as prescribed and in a safe way. Recruitment procedures were now followed to ensure the right staff were employed and all records as required by regulation sought. People were protected by the registered provider’s arrangements for the prevention and control of infection. Arrangements were in place to learn from events when things go wrong.
Staff now received a thorough induction to carry out their role and responsibilities effectively. Staff had the right competencies and skills to meet people’s needs and received regular training opportunities. Suitable arrangements were also now in place for staff to receive regular formal supervision and staff employed longer than 12 months had had an appraisal of their overall performance. People’s nutritional and hydration needs were met and they were provided with drinks and snacks throughout the day. People received appropriate healthcare support as and when needed from a variety of professional services. The service worked together with other organisations to ensure people received coordinated care and support. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.
People were treated with care, kindness, dignity and respect. People received a good level of care and support that met their needs and preferences. Staff had a good knowledge and understanding of people’s specific care and support needs and how individuals wished to be cared for and supported.
Support plans were in place to reflect how people would like to receive their care and support, and covered all aspects of a person's individual circumstances. Social activities were available for people to enjoy and experience. Information about how to make a complaint was available and people told us they were confident to raise issues or concerns and assured these would be addressed.
Suitable arrangements were in place to assess and monitor the quality of the service provided. There was a positive culture within the service that was person-centred, open and inclusive. The service sought people’s and others views about the quality of the service provided.
Further information is in the detailed findings below.