Park Crescent

People's experience of using this service: The service was good at placing people at the centre of the service. The managers and staff of the service had a focus on giving people the opportunity to develop their confidence, gain new skills and become as independent as possible. People were enabled to enjoy outings and activities, and this brought people new confidence.

The care service has been developed and designed in line with the values that underpin the Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These values include choice, promotion of independence and inclusion. People with learning disabilities and autism using the service can live as ordinary a life as any citizen. The registered manager looked for ways to improve the service, involving and engaging with the people using the service.

The service worked within the principles of the Mental Capacity Act and made appropriate applications for the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards. People were supported by staff in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. People were encouraged to make choices and have control in their daily lives.

There was a positive culture in the service. People we spoke with felt well supported and thought highly of staff and staff told us they enjoyed working in the service, improving people’s lives. There was a relaxed, friendly atmosphere and people living in the home enjoyed each other’s company.

The service was safe. Recruitment practices were thorough, and staff were supported through an induction, training and supervision. This included the safe management of medicines, safeguarding and health and safety.

The service responded to people’s needs by ensuring support plans were person-centred and contained relevant and up-to-date information. Information was communicated to people in a format that they could understand. Within the home and in the community, people engaged in activities that were meaningful and enjoyable to them. People’s end of life wishes were discussed if this was their choice; some information around these discussions was recorded within their support plans.

The provider welcomed comments about the service. They had an accessible complaint’s process available to people. The service had not received any formal complaints. There were policies and procedures in place and regular staff meetings were held to help ensure staff were supported to undertake their role effectively.

There were good processes in place to help ensure the quality of the service was monitored. The staff team worked well together and felt supported by the registered manager and the provider.

The provider complied with the legal obligation to display its most recent rating within the home and on their website.

Why we inspected: This was a scheduled comprehensive inspection at the service.

Follow up: We will continue to monitor the service and re-inspect in line with the current rating.

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

Park Crescent is registered to provide accommodation and personal care for up to seven people with a learning disability. The service had 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.

At this inspection people told us they felt safe, and said they talked to staff about how to stay safe. Staff we spoke with were confident people were safe and safeguarded from abuse. The provider had a range of systems which ensured risk was well managed and included health and safety around the home, recruitment of workers and management of medicines. There were enough staff to meet people’s needs; people told us they spent time with members of staff and had lots of opportunities to go out with staff support.

Staff received training and support that provided them with the skills and knowledge to carry out their job well. People who used the service told us they made their own decisions and received help when needed. People’s support plans had information to guide staff and ensure information was presented to aid decision making. People enjoyed the meals and were involved in menu planning. Menus were varied. Systems were in place to help make sure people stayed healthy.

People were well cared for and enjoyed living at Park Crescent. They were complimentary about the staff who supported them. Staff told us the service delivery was designed around people’s needs and preferences, and were confident people received good care. Staff knew the people they were supporting. The service had a ‘ground rule’ agreement which outlined what was expected from everyone and included ‘listen carefully’, ‘not to shout’, ‘be kind and helpful’, ‘take turns to speak’ and ‘no teasing’. Other easy read and pictorial information was available although not readily accessible; the registered manager was going to address this.

People received consistent, person centred care and support. Support plans showed people’s lifestyle was developed around their needs and preferences although we found people did not really understand the support planning process. The registered manager was going to look at how they could involve people more to make sure they fully understood this. People engaged in a range of activities in the home which included household tasks such as cooking and cleaning.

People did not raise any issues about the service and told us if they did have any concerns they would discuss these with staff or management. They told us they could talk to the registered manager. Staff described the registered manager as supportive and told us the service was well organised. Records we reviewed confirmed this. Regular meetings were held so people could discuss their views and receive feedback about the service. The provider supported the management team at Park Crescent and monitored the service to make sure people were receiving safe and effective care.

Is the service safe?

Is the service effective?

Is the service caring?

Is the service responsive?

Is the service well led?

This is a summary of what we found -

Is the service safe?

We saw evidence of daily environmental and weekly health and safety checks. These helped ensure the safety of people who used the service.

We saw a dedicated log book was kept for recording any accidents and incidents. A senior member of staff told us, "We review them regularly and if we see any similarities, we will investigate further."

Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) become important when a person is judged to lack the capacity to make an informed decision related to their care and treatment. The provider told us no recent applications for a DoLS had been made but knew the procedure to be followed if an application needed to be made. On the day of our inspection, no people who used the service were subject to a DoLS.

Is the service effective?

We saw people`s choices and preferences had been recorded at the time of their pre-admission assessment. There was also reference to the person`s life history. This showed people had been involved in creating their care plans.

Daily report sheets were completed which recorded the activities people had been involved with. This ensured a continuity of care was received by people who used the service.

Is the service caring?

Adequate numbers of staff were in attendance at all times which meant people had their care needs responded to in a timely manner. We saw one person requested support in their room and a staff member responded immediately. We observed good verbal interaction between staff and people who used the service.

The care plans we looked at contained clear and relevant information related to the care needs of each individual person who used the service. This reflected a person centred approach to providing care.

Is the service responsive?

A staff member told us several ideas relating to social activities had been suggested by people and had been implemented. A gardening project, a donkey sanctuary and a regular disco in the community were being attended by people who used the service.

A complaints procedure was in place at Park Crescent. A copy of the procedure was in people`s rooms. We spoke with a family member who told us, "We have never had a problem, but if we did, I know the manager would sort it out."

Is the service well led?

There were procedures in place at Park Crescent that monitored the quality of service provided to people who used the service. We saw evidence of daily environmental and weekly health and safety checks.

GP and professional visits and appointments had been recorded in care plans. This showed a multi-disciplinary approach to providing care and ensured people received appropriate care when they needed it.