Archived: Speymill House

Updated 1 June 2016

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.

The inspection took place on 25 and 26 April 2016. The inspection visit was announced and was undertaken by one inspector.

Before the inspection visit the provider completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We were able to review the information in the PIR during our inspection. We looked at information received from statutory notifications the provider had sent to us. A statutory notification is information about important events which the provider is required to send to us by law. We contacted local authority commissioners who contract the service to find out their views. They had no concerns about the service.

We spoke with one person who attended the office and visited two people living in their home. Most of the people could not tell us about their care and support due to their complex needs. We spoke with three relatives so they could tell us their experience of using the service. This helped us get an understanding of the care people received and to assess whether people's needs were appropriately met.

We spoke with the registered manager, service manager and three members of care staff. We reviewed three people's care records to see how certain aspects of their support was planned and delivered. We looked at other records related to people’s care and how the service operated, including the service’s quality assurance audits.

Updated 1 June 2016

We inspected Speymill House 25 and 26 April 2016. Our inspection visit was announced 48 hours before so the provider could make sure staff were available to speak with us and make arrangements for us to visit people in their home.

The service provides personal care to people living in their own homes with learning disabilities or autistic spectrum disorder. There were four people receiving support at the time of our visit.

The service was last inspected on 12 July 2013 when we found the provider was compliant with the essential standards described in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2010.

There was a registered manager in post. 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. There was a registered manager in post at the time of our inspection.

People received care from staff who had a good understanding of what constituted abuse and knew what actions to take if they had any concerns. There were sufficient numbers of staff to meet people’s individual needs and keep them safe. Identified risks were assessed and managed in a way that promoted people’s safety. There was a safe procedure for managing people’s medicines and people received their medicines as prescribed.

Relatives told us staff were friendly and caring and had the right skills to provide the care and support they required. Staff received an induction when they started working for the service and completed training to support them in meeting people’s needs effectively. Staff were positive about the training and support they received. They told us it enabled them to meet the needs of people in the home.

The registered manager understood their responsibilities under the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) to ensure people were looked after in a way that did not inappropriately restrict their freedom. This included applications made to the relevant authority for any restrictions to people's freedom that were deemed necessary to keep them safe; known as Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS).

People were encouraged to eat a varied diet that took into account their preferences and any nutritional needs. People were supported effectively with their health needs and had access to a range of healthcare professionals.

There was a consistent staff team who knew people’s abilities, support needs and preferred routines. People were relaxed with staff who took time to listen to them and understand their needs. Staff respected people’s privacy and dignity and treated them as individuals. People were able to maintain personal relationships with people that were important to them.

Each person had a care and support plan with detailed information and guidance personal to them. Support plans included information on maintaining the person's health, daily routines and their preferences.

The provider had systems in place to monitor the quality of service provided. The managers regularly reviewed the care and support people received and took action to continuously improve the service. Staff told us they felt supported by the managers who were approachable and open to suggestions about the service people received.