Background to this inspection
Updated
16 June 2017
We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.
This inspection took place on 9 May 2017 and was completed by one inspector and was unannounced.
As part of the inspection we reviewed information we held about the service including safeguarding alerts and statutory notifications which related to the service. Statutory notifications include information about important events which the provider is required to send us by law.
At the time of this inspection there were six people living at the home. We were able to meet with the people but due to the complex nature of their disabilities they were unable or chose not to verbally tell us about their experiences of life at the home. Therefore, we observed how care and support was delivered to people throughout our visit. We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us.
As part of our inspection we spoke with three people’s relatives and five members of staff including support workers, seniors and the registered manager. We looked at the written records in relation to four people’s care and also looked at records relating to the management of medicines, staff training, recruitment records and systems for monitoring the safety and quality of the service.
Updated
16 June 2017
Conifers is a residential care home registered to provide accommodation and personal care for up to six people who have a learning disability. There were six people living at the service on the day of our inspection.
The inspection took place on 9 May 2017 and was unannounced. The last inspection of this service took place in March 2015 and at that time the service was rated as good.
At the time of inspection there was a registered manager in post who was also the registered provider. 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.
The service was managed by the registered manager, a deputy and a trainee manager who all shared responsibility for running the service on a day to day basis.
At the previous inspection we found that the registered manager had not met the requirements of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). At this inspection we found there was still a lack of understanding around DoLS. We made a recommendation that the provider take the necessary steps to increase their knowledge and make the necessary DoLS applications to ensure people were not being deprived of their liberty unlawfully.
People were safe at Conifers. Risks to people were managed safely and positively which ensured people received safe care that met their needs whilst at the same time allowing them to exercise choice and control.
Staff were aware of their whistle-blowing and safeguarding responsibilities. They knew the signs to look for that might indicate that people were being abused and who to report any concerns to.
Medicines were managed safely by staff who were trained and assessed as competent to give medicines safely.
Systems and processes were in place to ensure the safe recruitment of staff with sufficient numbers of staff deployed to meet people’s needs safely.
People were supported to make choices about how they wanted to live their day to day lives including exploring interests and maintaining relationships that were important to them.
Staff felt well supported by the management team who were accessible and listened to them. A regular programme of training was provided with opportunities for specialist training relevant to meeting the needs of the people who used the service.
The service supported people to have enough to eat and drink which reflected their preferences and helped them maintain a healthy balanced diet.
People’s health and wellbeing was maintained. Staff worked with healthcare professionals and were pro-active in referring people for assessment or treatment. The service kept detailed health records and shared this information appropriately with the relevant health and social care professionals. This meant that people’s health was closely monitored to ensure they received any treatment they required in a timely fashion.
Staff had formed positive relationships with people who used the service. People’s privacy and dignity was respected at all times and people were treated with kindness and respect.
People were supported by a longstanding and stable workforce who knew them well and promoted their independence.
The care and support people received was personalised and met their individual needs and preferences. People, or their representatives, were involved in making decisions about how the support was delivered so they felt listened to and included.
The registered manager was held in high regard by people, relatives and staff who all felt included in the running of the home.
There was an open culture and the provider encouraged and supported staff to provide care that was centred on the individual.
There were systems in place to ensure the quality and safety of the service and respond appropriately to complaints and feedback.