Wansbeck House is a service which is registered to provide accommodation for 12 people with a mental health condition. The registered providers are The Wansbeck Limited. Accommodation for people was provided over three floors and there was a stair lift available to access the first floor. There were a total of seven members of staff plus two managers who provided support for people. On the day of our visit 11 people lived at the home.
The last inspection was carried out in December 2013 and no issues were identified. This inspection was carried out on 5 November 2014.
The service had two registered managers who shared the management responsibilities. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.
People felt safe with the home’s staff. Relatives had no concerns about the safety of people. There were policies and procedures regarding the safeguarding of adults and staff knew what action to take if they thought anyone was at risk of potential harm.
Care records contained risk assessments to protect people from any identified risks and help keep them safe. These gave information for staff on the identified risk and gave guidance on reduction measures. There were risk assessments in place to help keep people safe in the event of an unforeseen emergency such as fire or flood.
Thorough recruitment processes were in place for newly appointed staff to check they were suitable to work with people. Staffing numbers were maintained at a level to meet people’s needs safely. People told us there were always enough staff on duty and staff also confirmed this.
People told us the food at the home was good. They were involved in planning meals and staff provided support to help ensure meals were balanced and encouraged healthy choices.
People were supported to take their medicines as directed by their GP. Records showed that medicines were obtained, stored, administered and disposed of safely.
The CQC monitors the operation of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) which applies to care homes. Whilst no-one living at the home was currently subject to DoLS, we found the managers understood when an application should be made and how to submit one. We found the provider to be meeting the requirements of DoLS. There were no restrictions imposed on people and they were able to make individual decisions for themselves. The manager and staff were guided by the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) regarding best interests decisions should anyone be deemed to lack capacity.
Each person had a plan of care which provided the information staff needed to provide effective support to people. Staff received training to help them meet people’s needs. Staff received an induction and there was regular supervision including monitoring of staff performance. Staff were supported to develop their skills by means of additional training and all staff had completed training to a minimum of National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) level two or equivalent. People said they were well supported and relatives said staff were knowledgeable.
People’s privacy and dignity were respected. Staff had a caring attitude towards people. Each person was allocated a key worker for the provision of additional support. (A key worker is a person who has responsibilities for working with certain individuals so they can build up a relationship with them. They help and support them in their day to day lives and give reassurance to feel safe and cared for). We saw staff smiling and laughing with people and offering support. There was a good rapport between people and staff.
The managers operated an open door policy and welcomed feedback on any aspect of the service. There was a stable staff team who said that communication in the home was good and they always felt able to make suggestions. They confirmed management were open and approachable.
A health care professional told us that the managers and staff were very approachable and had good communication skills; they said the home was open and transparent and worked well with them to meet people’s needs.
There was a policy and procedure for quality assurance. The manager completed weekly and monthly checks to monitor the quality of the service provided to ensure the delivery of high quality care.
People and staff were able to influence the running of the service and make comments and suggestions about any changes. Regular meetings with staff and people took place. These meetings enabled the manager and provider to monitor if people’s needs were being met.