Norwyn House

People’s experience of using this service:

People were supported by staff that were caring, compassionate and treated them with dignity and respect. People received person centred care and support based on their individual needs and preferences. Staff knew about people's life history, and their communication needs.

Risks of abuse to people were minimised because staff demonstrated a good awareness of each person's safety needs and how to minimise risks of abuse for them. The environment was safe, and regular health and safety checks were carried out.

People were supported by staff who had the skills and knowledge to meet their needs. Staff understood and felt confident in their role. People’s health had improved because staff promoted healthy active lifestyles. They worked in partnership with a range of healthcare professionals and followed their advice.

People were supported in the least restrictive way possible; the policies, systems and culture in the service supported this practice.

People's concerns and complaints were listened and responded to. Accidents, incidents and complaints were used as opportunities to learn and improve the service.

People gave us positive feedback about the quality of people's care. They said the provider and member of staff were approachable, listened and acted on feedback.

Rating at last inspection: Good. (last report published 4 October 2016)

Why we inspected: This was a planned inspection based on the rating at the last inspection. At this inspection, the service remained rated Good overall.

Follow up: We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received we may inspect sooner.

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

Norwyn House is a small residential care home for people with learning disabilities, that is registered to provide accommodation with personal care for a maximum of five people. Four people lived there when we visited. It is a family home and the registered provider is in day to day charge of the service. 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.

The provider demonstrated an understanding of their responsibilities in relation to the Mental Capacity Act (2005). Mental capacity assessments were completed, and identified how people could be supported to make as many day to day decisions as possible. Where more significant decisions were made about a person’s care and treatment, there was evidence that relevant professionals and relatives were consulted in decision making in their best interest.

People who lived at the service felt safe living there. Staff knew about their responsibilities to safeguard people and to report suspected abuse. People received their medicines on time and in a safe way.

Staffing levels were sufficient to ensure people received appropriate care and support. The provider had increased the hours of a member of staff, which meant people had more one to one support to go out and undertook a wider variety of activities. The service managed risks in positive ways to enable people to lead fulfilling lives and to be involved in their local community.

People were supported by staff that had the necessary skills, knowledge and experience to support their care needs. They had access to ongoing healthcare support and were encouraged to lead a healthy lifestyle. Care records were up to date, care plans and risk assessments were reviewed and updated as people’s needs changed. Daily records captured in detail how each person spent their day and details about their physical and emotional wellbeing.

People had their needs met by staff who had an in-depth knowledge of their communication, care and health needs. Staff knew people well, and cared for them as individuals and were kind, caring and compassionate towards people. They promoted people’s independence, respected their dignity and maintained their privacy. Staff were discreet when supporting people with personal care, respected people’s choices and acted in accordance with each person’s wishes and preferences. People were supported to express their views and be involved decision making.

People felt confident to raise concerns. Any complaints or grumbles were listened and appropriately responded to.

The service was well-led. The culture of the home was open, friendly and welcoming. People, staff and professionals expressed confidence in the provider. People’s views were sought and taken into account in how the service was run. The provider made changes and improvements in response to feedback.

People were consulted with about day to day choices about their lives and were supported to follow their personal interests and hobbies. The people we spoke with told us they liked living at the home and had opportunity to do things that interested them. People were supported to live as independently as possible, according to their abilities. One person said "I like to go to the shop to collect my newspaper".

We saw improvements in record keeping with care plans being clearer and more complete. Risk assessments had been completed for all people using the service and other records such as weigh monitoring and medication records were routinely recorded.

People were consulted with about day to day choices about their lives and were

supported to pursue their interests and hobbies. All four people told us they liked living at the home and had opportunity to do things that interested them. People were supported to live as independently as possible, according to their abilities. We saw how one person enjoyed going to 'The Magic Carpet', a local creative arts centre each week. One person said "I like going to Honiton on the bus and train when I go to the dentist". A second person told us how much they enjoyed working at a local pub once a week and how they had been able to take a trip abroad.

People's health care needs were met. Staff ensured that people attended regular appointments with relevant health professionals as necessary such as annual reviews with their GP.

The premises were suitable for the purpose of caring for the people who lived there and whilst current building works were progressing the environment was safe. Staff were supported to deliver care and treatment safely and were knowledgeable about the needs of people living in the home. However, whilst we saw some improvements in record keeping, some of the written records seen were not up to date and further improvements were needed.

People we spoke with confirmed they liked living at the home and told us about their hobbies and things they liked to do. People were supported to live as independently as possible, according to their abilities. We were told how two people enjoyed going to 'The Magic Carpet', a local creative arts centre each week. One person said "I like going to Lyme Regis on the bus and looking round the shops". A second person told us how much they enjoyed working at a local pub once a week tidying the yard and about their recent birthday celebrations there. In the afternoon, we took the dog for a walk at a local woods which everyone enjoyed.

We found people were able to make day to day choices about their lives and were supported to pursue their interests and hobbies. People's health care needs were met, they had regular appointments with the dentist, six weekly visits by a chiropodist, annual reviews by the local GP and by care managers. We were also told about contact with learning disability and mental health professionals, as needed. However, some of the written records seen were not up to date and further improvements in record keeping were needed.