Cavendish House is a Christian care home which provides care and support for up to five people who have a learning disability, such as autism. At the time of our visit there were five people living at the home.
There was not a registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to manage the service and has the legal responsibility for meeting the requirements of the law; as does the provider. There was a new manager who had begun the application process to become the registered manager. They were present during our inspection.
Staff treated people in a kind and caring manner and we observed people were given the dignity and respect they should expect.
People were safe living at Cavendish House as staff carried out appropriate checks to make sure that any risks of harm were identified and managed. For example, if someone wished to go out of the home. People’s care would not be interrupted in the event of an emergency and people needed to be evacuated from the home as staff had guidance to follow.
Staff understood the Mental Capacity Act (2005) and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) to ensure decisions were made for people in the least restrictive way to protect their human rights.
Staff were aware of their responsibilities to safeguard people from abuse and were able to tell us what they would do in such an event.
Staff were provided with training which allowed them to carry out their role in an effective way. It was evident staff had a good understanding of the individual needs and characteristics of people. This was confirmed by relatives and our observations on the day.
There were enough staff deployed in the home. This meant people were able to undertake their individualised activities each day.
People received their medicines in a safe way and were supported to self-medicate if they were able to. People were encouraged to eat a healthy and varied diet and were involved in choosing and buying the food they ate.
Appropriate checks were carried out to help ensure only suitable staff worked in the home.
People were supported to keep healthy and had access to external health services. Professional involvement was sought by staff when appropriate. However, we found not all records of appointments were recorded in a way it was easy for staff to see.
Staff encouraged people to be independent and to do things for themselves, such as help around the home, cook or shop.
Staff supported people in an individualised way. Activities were planned that meant something to people. For example, some people wanted to lose weight so they were helped to enrol at a gym. People were involved in developing their own care and support needs.
A complaints procedure was available for any concerns and relatives and people were encouraged to feedback their views and ideas into the running of the home.
Staff carried out a number of checks to make sure people received a good quality of care.
Staff felt supported by the manager and had the opportunity to meet regularly with each other as a team as well as on an individual basis.