Archived: People in Action - Milverton Terrace

Milverton Terrace is an assessment centre that provides short term accommodation and personal care for up to eight younger adults who may have learning disabilities or autistic spectrum disorder, a physical disability or sensory impairment. People live at the home for a short time period to develop their skills to assist them to live as independently as possible when they move to a permanent home. There were six people living at Milverton Terrace at the time of our inspection visit.

The service has been developed and designed in line with the principles and values that underpin Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. This ensures that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes. The principles reflect the need for people with learning disabilities and/or autism to live meaningful lives that include control, choice, and independence.

People's experience of using this service

People received planned and co-ordinated person-centred support that was appropriate and inclusive for them, helped them gain new skills and become more independent.

There were enough suitably skilled and experienced staff to meet people’s needs and keep them safe. Staff had the information they needed to ensure risks to people were minimised whilst encouraging people to live their lives as they wished. Staff knew what to do if they had any concerns about people's health or wellbeing.

People were supported to access healthcare professionals and staff worked closely with other agencies to ensure people’s transition between services was as smooth as possible. People received their medicines as prescribed.

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 were very positive about the caring and supportive nature of staff.

People continued to receive a service that was well-led. The monitoring of service provision was effective and there was an open, transparent and person-centred culture with good leadership.

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 overall rating for this service was good (published 4 August 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our reinspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.

permanent home.

At the last inspection, the service was rated good. At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

Two weeks prior to our inspection visit, the previous registered manager of the home had moved to a different role within the organisation. The new manager was in the process of submitting their application to be ‘registered’ with us. 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 and relatives were complimentary and satisfied with the quality of care they received. People received care that enabled them to live their lives as they wanted and were able to make choices about maintaining their independence. People were encouraged to make their own decisions about the care they received and care was given in line with their expressed wishes. People were supported to maintain relationships with people who were important to them.

Care plans contained accurate and detailed relevant information for staff to help them provide the individual care people required. People and relatives were involved in making care decisions and reviewing their care to ensure it continued to meet their needs.

For people assessed as being at risk, care records included information for staff so risks to people’s health and welfare were minimised. Staff had a good knowledge of people’s needs and abilities which meant they provided safe and effective care. Staff received essential training to meet people’s individual needs, and used their skills, knowledge and experience to support people effectively and develop trusting relationships.

Medicines were stored and administered safely and as prescribed.

People’s care and support was provided by a caring staff team and there were enough trained and experienced staff to be responsive to meet their needs. People told us they felt safe living at Milverton Terrace and relatives agreed. Staff knew how to keep people safe from the risk of abuse. Staff and the manager understood what actions they needed to take if they had any concerns for people's wellbeing or safety. They took immediate action when we found an incident had not been reported to the local authority.

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.

People received a choice of meals and drinks that met their individual dietary requirements at times they wanted them.

People and relatives knew how to voice their complaints and felt confident to do so.

People. relatives and staff were encouraged to share their views of the service through regular meetigs and surveys. The manager had an ‘open door’ policy for people, relatives, staff and visitors to the home.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

The manager assessed people's needs and abilities before they moved to the home. The manager identified risks to people's health and wellbeing and put plans in place to minimise the risks. People were supported to understand complex written information with pictorial versions. One person told us they had an advocate, who supported them with their decision making and long term plans.

The provider had effective safeguarding policies and procedures. The manager checked that staff were suitable to work with vulnerable people. Support workers understood the actions they should take if they had any concerns about people's safety.

Support workers told us they felt supported because they worked as a team and the manager was always available to give them advice and guidance. We found that each support worker was encouraged to consider their own personal development. One support worker told us, 'I just love working here. I look forward to coming in.'

The manager kept detailed records of complaints and comments they received. The records demonstrated that complaints were resolved to the complainants' satisfaction. The complaints policy was available in an easy to understand pictorial version.

We saw that everyone had an individual care plan to support them to develop the skills they needed to live independently in the future. The care plans we looked at were regularly updated with people's new goals. People we spoke with told us how staff supported them with their plans and goals. We found there were enough staff on duty to support people with their individual activities throughout the day.

Support staff we spoke with told us how they obtained and administered the medicines that people needed. They told us they were regularly observed in practice and tested to make sure they followed the manager's written guidance and administered medicines safely.

Support staff kept a written record about how people developed the skills they needed. The manager used the records at meetings with other health and social care professionals to assess when people were ready to move into independent living accommodation. The records were kept securely and were accessible to staff when needed.