56 High Street

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

There was safeguarding procedures in place and the registered manager and staff had a clear understanding of these procedures. Appropriate recruitment checks had taken place before staff started work at the home. There were enough staff to meet people’s needs. People’s medicines were managed safely. The service had procedures in place to reduce the risk of infections. There were effective systems in place for monitoring and learning from incidents and accidents.

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.

The registered manager and staff worked in partnership with health and social care providers to plan and deliver an effective service. The provider took people using the services views into account through surveys and residents’ meetings. There was a learning culture at the home which improved the care people received. Staff told us they received good support from the registered manager.

Rating at last inspection. The last rating for this service was good (published 30 May 2018).

Why we inspected.

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

For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating.

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.

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

Follow up

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

56 High Street provides personal care and support for up to 10 people with severe and enduring mental health problems including dual diagnosis. The service focuses on providing support to people to help them gain the necessary skills to be able to lead independent lives. The accommodation consists of individual bedrooms and shared communal areas and facilities. At the time of our inspection there were eight people using the service. There was 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.

Risks to people were assessed, recorded and managed safely. There were robust systems and policies and procedures in place to deal with emergencies. People were protected from the risk of abuse, because staff were aware of the action to take if they had any concerns. Medicines were managed, administered and stored safely. There were systems in place to ensure people were protected from the risk of infection. Accidents and incidents were recorded and acted on appropriately. There were safe staff recruitment practices in place and appropriate numbers of staff to meet people's needs.

There were systems in place to ensure staff new to the service were inducted and trained appropriately. Staff were aware of the importance of seeking consent from people and demonstrated a good understanding of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards. This provides protection for people who do not have capacity to make decisions for themselves. People were supported to meet their nutritional needs and preferences. People had access to health and social care professionals when required. People told us staff treated them well and respected their privacy. People were involved in decisions about their care and had care plans in place which reflected their individual needs and preferences.

People spoke positively about staff and told us their diverse needs were discussed and met. People told us they were supported to maintain relationships that were important to them. People were supported to engage in a range of social activities. People’s independence was respected and promoted. People were provided with opportunities to give feedback about the service through resident’s meeting that were held and informally through a comments and suggestions box.

Care plans were developed and implemented based on assessments of people’s needs and risks. People’s needs were reviewed and monitored on a regular basis. Care plans included information about people's histories, culture and lifestyles choices and considered the support people may require with regard to any protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010. People were provided with information on how to make a complaint.

Staff spoke positively about the management support at the service. The service worked with health and social care professionals to ensure people's needs were appropriately met. There were systems in place to monitor the quality of the service provided. People's views about the service were sought and considered through annual satisfaction surveys.