13 and 20 January 2015
During a routine inspection
The inspection took place over two days. The visit on 13 January 2015 was unannounced. This visit only lasted an hour and a half because everyone in the home was going out for a pre-arranged event. Therefore, we returned to the service on 20 January 2015 and this visit was announced. The previous inspection of the service was on 18 September 2013. No breaches of Regulation had been identified at the previous inspection. At the time of the inspection three people were using the service. They had all lived at the home for many years.
Wells House Care Limited provides care and support for up to four people with mental health needs. The provider is a small family run business and the owner is also the registered manager. 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run. The registered manager lived at the home with the people who used the service..
People told us they liked living at the home and were well cared for. One person told us ‘’this is a very good home.’’ Relatives of people living there told us, ‘’The staff there have been amazing, seriously’’, ‘’I wanted to tell you how happy I have been for my (relative) since they has been staying at the house, all these years’’, ‘’the building is in pristine condition’’, ‘’I am very happy with the care there, very confident’’ and ‘’I don’t think we could have it any better.’’
The provider had taken appropriate steps to keep people safe, they had risk assessed the needs of each individual and the environment. The staff had information on recognising and reporting abuse and knew what to do if they felt concerned about anyone’s wellbeing. People were given the support they needed to take their medicines and to stay healthy.
The staff had the training and information they needed to support people. They felt supported themselves and worked well as a team. People’s nutritional needs were assessed and met and they were given a variety of freshly prepared food. People were supported to access the healthcare services they needed.
. People felt they were part of a small community where they were all treated equally and with respect. They looked after each other’s wellbeing and the staff were polite, respectful and met people’s individual needs. The service was part of a wider community of neighbours, friends and family who offered support.
People’s care was personalised and reflected their choices and individual needs. These had been assessed and people had been involved with planning their own care. They took part in a range of activities and were supported to be independent where they wished. People were able to make complaints and felt listened to and valued.
Everyone was involved in decisions about how the service was run.. There were a range of audits and checks on aspects of the service and these identified any improvements which were needed.