NE Lincs Crisis (Field View)

Updated 15 June 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 unannounced inspection took place on 3, 4 and 11 May 2018. The inspection was carried out by two adult social care inspectors on the first day of the inspection and one adult social care inspector on the following two dates.

The inspection was prompted in part by safeguarding issues raised and a police investigation, and therefore we carried out the inspection to ensure people were safe. Prior to the inspection, we spoke with the local authority safeguarding team and the police who shared information with us about their on-going investigation.

During this inspection, we spoke with the registered manager and the service manager, three members of staff, one person using the service and a visiting professional. We reviewed the care files for three people who had used the service for respite.

We reviewed policies, procedures and supporting documents that were in place to ensure the service was managed effectively. Recruitment files for three staff members were reviewed and staff training records, the staff rota and minutes of meetings with staff and people who used the service, quality assurance audits, complaints management and maintenance records were also seen. We completed an observed walk around the premises to check general maintenance as well as the cleanliness and infection control practices.

Updated 15 June 2018

NE Lincs crisis (Field View) is a short stay care service situated in a residential area of Grimsby in North East Lincolnshire. The service is registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to provide accommodation and support for up to five people. The service provides three beds for crisis care support for a maximum of seven days and two beds for people who need respite support which has no specific length of stay.

At the time of our inspection three people were accessing the service for support. The service provides support for adults who have mental health conditions. The service offers five bedrooms over two levels. There is also a large communal lounge, dining / kitchen facilities, chill out / activity area, quiet seating space, bathroom and toilet facilities and outdoor garden space with a smoking shed. The service offers private parking for two cars and on street parting is also available.

The inspection took place on 7 March 2016 and was unannounced. The last inspection took place in January 2014 and the service was compliant with all of the areas that we assessed. 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.

The service understood how to keep people safe, however issues were raised about the lone working practices in place at the service. We recommended that the registered provider continues to review and monitor this and consider the impact on people’s support and associated risks to staff when lone working.

There were policies and procedures to guide staff in how to safeguard people from the risk of harm and abuse. Staff understood how to report potential abuse and had received training to reinforce their understanding.

The registered manager and staff were following the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and had a good understanding of the legislation and ensured people were not being deprived of their liberty (DoLS). We found that staff had been recruited safely and appropriate checks had been completed prior to them working with vulnerable people.

Staff had a good knowledge and understanding of the needs of the people they were supporting and people told us staff were considerate and kind. There was strong partnership links between the service and local mental health professionals and the service had a good reputation for providing an effective, valued service.

People told us the leadership at the service was approachable and supportive and people were encouraged to give their views and opinions on the service. The registered provider promoted an open and transparent organisation and staff were supported through regular supervision, team meetings and yearly appraisals. Robust auditing systems were in place to assess and monitor the quality of the service provided.