16 March 2015
During a routine inspection
The unannounced inspection took place on 16 March 2015. We last inspected the service on 28 October 2013. At that inspection we found the service was meeting all the regulations we inspected.
Grange Park Avenue provides accommodation with personal care and support for up to three people with learning disabilities. At the time of our inspection three people were living at the service.
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.
People told us they felt safe living at the home. Relatives told us they were confident their family member lived in a safe environment.
People lived in a clean, tidy and homely environment, with bedrooms tailored to people’s specific needs, likes and dislikes.
People received their medicines appropriately. Staff at the service were trained to administer medicines to people safely and securely.
Staff had a good understanding of safeguarding procedures. They also knew how to report any concerns they had and whistleblowing procedures were also in place and understood.
Staff followed the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). MCA assessments and ‘best interests’ decisions had been made where there were doubts about a person’s capacity to make decisions. The registered manager was also in discussion with the local authority with regards to DoLS applications.
Relatives and staff all told us they felt there were enough staff to meet people’s needs. The registered manager monitored staffing levels to ensure enough trained staff were available at all times. The provider had systems in place for the safe recruitment of all staff at the home, including security checks. The registered manager had a programme of staff training, supervision and appraisal in place and monitored this to ensure all staff were kept up to date with any training needs and support. However, we found shortfalls in staff appraisals and some elements of staff training.
Maintenance work was completed as required. The provider also had emergency procedures in place for staff to follow and staff knew how to access this information and how to use it.
People told us they enjoyed the food prepared at the service. We found people received a range of nutritious meals and refreshments throughout the day.
People were respected and treated with dignity, compassion, warmth and kindness. People and their relatives we spoke with highlighted the quality of care provided by staff at the home. One person told us, “Staff are canny, they look after me.”
People were treated as individuals and their care needs were monitored so any changes were identified and procedures put in place to address that change. People’s records were regularly reviewed and discussed with the person where possible, and their relatives. Best interest decisions had been made where necessary.
People were involved in a range of activities outside of the service and chose what they wanted to participate in, including holidays.
Information on how to make a complaint was available to people at the service and to relatives and visitors alike. Any complaints had been dealt with effectively.
People were regularly asked their views on the service and about their care, both verbally and in pictorial format. Relatives confirmed they were asked their views, during visits or reviews of care. One person confirmed they had completed a review when showed the form. A relative told us, “Staff are always asking our views.”
The staff, registered manager and the regional manager monitored the quality of the service through a wide variety of audits and checks within the home. When an issue had been identified the registered manager had put measures in place to deal with the problem and the regional manager monitored these in-house checks for completeness.
We found one breach of regulation 23 (1) (a) of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2010, which corresponds to Regulation 18 (2) (a) of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. This breach is in connection with appraisals and training. You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of this report.