6 August 2012
During a routine inspection
The two people who agreed to speak with us were very happy with the service that they received. They told us that they received good support and that they were treated with respect. One person said 'Our privacy is respected and this is important to me '.
People told us that staff knew what was important to them and helped them to achieve their goals. Staff gave examples of how people's quality of life had improved because the service had supported them to achieve their ambitions and become more independent. We saw that people's likes, dislikes, preferences and goals were considered in relation to the care and support that they received.
People were involved in making decisions in relation to their day to day activities and people's lifestyle choices were respected and promoted. Plans were in place to support people to do this and staff were aware of risks, people's rights and their responsibilities.
People were supported by a staff team who knew them well. Staff told us that they were well supported by the manager and the organisation. We were unable to access staff training records on the day of our visit but staff told us that they felt well trained. The manager had identified improvements to the frequency of training opportunities to ensure that staff could keep up to date with current best practice. The manager also told us of a number of opportunities for staff to gain knowledge and information about people's specific support needs and this had enabled them to offer a better service as a result. Staff told us that these courses had been really helpful in relation to understanding the care and support that they provided.
People were protected because staff were confident to recognise and report abuse. The service was aware of its responsibility to refer any allegations to the local authority safeguarding team so that they could be investigated openly and as part of a multi agency team. The manager took action at the time of our inspection to improve recording and monitoring processes in relation to handling people's money. This will offer greater financial protection for the future.
The service ensured that people's views were considered and listened to to ensure that the service was delivered around each person's individual needs.
We were told by people who received a service and by the staff team that the manager was very approachable and very 'hands on' in terms of support. The manager told us that the organisation had a number of quality monitoring tools to ensure that they maintained good quality care.