We inspected St Bede’s House on 5 October 2015. This was an announced inspection. We informed the provider at short notice (the day before) that we would be visiting to inspect. We did this because the location is a service for one person who may be out during the day; we needed to be sure that someone would be in.
St Bede’s House provides 24 hour care and support for one person who has a learning disability and lives in their own home.
The service has a 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 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.
There were systems and processes in place to protect the person who used the service from the risk of harm. Staff were aware of different types of abuse, what constituted poor practice and action to take if abuse was suspected. Appropriate checks of the building and maintenance systems were undertaken to ensure health and safety of staff and the person.
Risk assessments were in place for both the person using the service and staff members. Staff members told us of the systems they followed in case of emergency as they were lone workers.
Staff told us that they felt supported. There was a regular programme of staff supervision and appraisal in place. Records of supervision were detailed and showed the registered manager worked with staff to identify their personal and professional development.
Staff had been trained and had the skills and knowledge to provide support to the person they cared for. There was enough staff on duty to provide support and ensure that their needs were met. Staff were aware of the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act (2005) and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) which meant they were working within the law to support people who may lack capacity to make their own decisions although no-one currently was subjected to a DoLS. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) monitors the operation of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS), which applies to care homes. DoLS are part of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. They aim to make sure that people in care homes, hospitals and supported living are looked after in a way that does not inappropriately restrict their freedom
We found that safe recruitment and selection procedures were in place and appropriate checks had been undertaken before staff began work. This included obtaining references from previous employers to show staff employed were safe to work with vulnerable people. We spoke with one new member of staff who spoke highly of their induction and support.
Appropriate systems were in place for the management of medicines so that the person received their medicines safely.
There were positive interactions between the person who used the service and staff. We saw that staff treated the person who used the service with dignity and respect. Staff were attentive, showed compassion, were patient and gave encouragement to the person.
The person’s nutritional needs were met, with them being involved in shopping and decisions about meals. Staff told us they closely monitored the person’s intake and would contact the dietician if needed and a nutritional monitoring tool was in place.
The person was supported to maintain good health and had access to healthcare professionals and services. We saw they were supported and encouraged to have regular health checks and were accompanied by staff to appointments.
Assessments were undertaken to identify health and support needs. The person had a person centred plan which showed how they wished to be supported.
Staff encouraged and supported the person to access activities within the community and also to maintain family relationships.
The provider had a system in place for responding to any concerns and complaints. Staff told us they knew when the person was unhappy and would take action to resolve this.
There were effective systems in place to monitor and improve the quality of the service provided. Staff told us that the service had an open, inclusive and positive culture.