4 Sandford Road

4 Sandford Road is a residential care home providing personal care. The home accommodates five people in one adapted building. The home specialises in providing care and rehabilitation to adults with mental health needs. At the time of our inspection two people were living at the home and one person was moving in.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

At the time of our inspection there was no registered manager in post. The locality manager was overseeing the service and they and the regional manager supported the inspection process.

There were systems in place to monitor the quality and safety of the service and any learning was identified and acted on. However, we identified an incident that occurred in August 2022 where CQC had not been notified. The locality manager submitted a retrospective statutory notification to the CQC.

People told us they felt safe. The provider had safeguarding and whistleblowing procedures in place and staff had a clear understanding of these. Risks to people were assessed and staff were aware of the action to take to minimise risks where they had been identified. Robust recruitment checks had taken place before staff started working at the service. There were enough staff available to meet people’s needs. There were procedures in place to reduce the risk and spread of infections.

Assessments of people’s needs were carried out when they started using the service. Staff received training and support relevant to people’s needs. People were supported to maintain a balanced diet. People had access to a range of healthcare services when needed. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People told us staff were caring. They had care plans that described their health care and support needs and included guidelines for staff on how to best support them. The provider had a complaints procedure in place in formats that people could understand. Peoples preferences for their end of life care was sought and recorded.

The locality manager told us that the aim of the service was to improve people’s wellbeing, develop their skills for example around cooking and budgeting so they could move to independent living. Two people had recently moved out into their own flats. The provider sought people views about the service through annual surveys, house meetings and keyworker meetings. The provider and staff worked in partnership with health and social care providers to deliver an effective service.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was good (Published 16 December 2017)

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.

4 Sandford Road is a care home. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection. The home accommodates five people in one adapted building. The home specialises in providing care and rehabilitation to adults with mental health needs.

The registered manager stopped working at the home the week prior to our inspection. A deputy project manager and the deputy manager supported the inspection process. However the provider had identified a new manager to run the home. The deputy project manager said the new manager would be applying to the CQC to become 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 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

There were safeguarding procedures in place. People using the service and staff had a clear understanding of these procedures. There was a whistle-blowing procedure in place and staff said they would use it if they needed to. Appropriate recruitment checks took place before staff started work. There were enough staff on duty to meet people’s needs. Risks to people had been assessed and reviewed regularly to ensure their needs were safely met. Medicines were managed appropriately and people were receiving their medicines as prescribed by health care professionals. The home was clean, free from odours and was appropriately maintained.

Full assessments of people’s care and support needs were carried out by managers before people moved into the home. Staff had completed an induction when they started work and received training relevant to the needs of people using the service. The provider’s ethos was to encourage, empower and rehabilitate people to become independent. Staff felt proud when people moved out of the home into their own accommodation. People told us their independence was encouraged, they ate healthy foods and cooked for themselves. People had access to a GP and other health care professionals when they needed them. The registered manager and staff demonstrated a clear understanding of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards and acted according to this legislation. People are supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff support them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service support this practice.

Staff treated people in a caring, respectful and dignified manner. People’s privacy and dignity was respected. People had been consulted about their care and support needs. People were provided with appropriate information about the home. This ensured they were aware of the standard of care they should expect. People could communicate their needs effectively and could understand information in the current written format provided to them.

People received personalised care that met their needs. People knew about the provider’s complaints procedure and said they would tell staff or the deputy manager if they were unhappy or wanted to make a complaint.. Peoples care plans included a section on diversity that referred to their religion, faith or cultural needs.

There was an out of hours on call system in operation that ensured management support and advice was always available for staff when they needed it. The provider had effective systems in place to regularly assess and monitor the quality of service that people received. There were regular residents meetings where people were able to express their views and opinions about the home. The provider took into account the views of people using the service expressed through annual surveys.