Archived: Community Options Limited - 19 Wheathill Road

Updated 19 February 2015

This inspection was carried out on the 15 and 16 December 2014. The inspection team consisted of an inspector and a specialist nurse advisor. Before the inspection we looked at the information we held about the service including notifications they had sent us and 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 also contacted an officer from the local authority that commissions services from the provider and a health care professional about their views on the service.

We spent time observing the care and support being delivered. We spoke with two people using the service, three members of staff, the human resources manager and the manager. We looked at records, including the care records of three people using the service, four staff members’ recruitment and training records and records relating to the management of the service.

Updated 19 February 2015

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 15 and 16 December 2014 and was unannounced. At our previous inspection 22 October 2013, we found the provider was meeting the regulations in relation to outcomes we inspected.

Community Options Limited - 19 Wheathill Road is a residential care home which accommodates and provides support for up to five adults with mental health problems. There was a registered manager in place. 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.

People using the service said they felt safe and that staff treated them well. Staff had completed training specific to the needs of people using the service, for example, mental health awareness. Safeguarding adult’s procedures were robust and staff understood how to safeguard the people they supported. The manager and staff had received training on safeguarding adults, the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards and the Mental Capacity Act 2005. Appropriate recruitment checks took place before staff started work.

Risks to people using the service were assessed; care plans and risk assessments provided clear information and guidance for staff on how to support people with their needs. People using the service had been fully involved in planning for their care needs. Medicine records showed that people were receiving their medicines as prescribed by health care professionals.

People said there was a relaxed atmosphere in the home and they felt their views and opinions were valued by staff. Staff encouraged people to be as independent as possible. There were regular meetings where people were able to talk about things that were important to them and about the things they wanted to do. They knew about the home’s complaints procedure and said they were confident their complaints would be fully investigated and action taken if necessary.

The provider found out the views of people using the service through surveys. They recognised the importance of regularly monitoring the quality of the service provided to people. Staff said they enjoyed working at the home and they received good support from the manager. There was a whistle-blowing procedure available and staff said they would use it if they needed to. They said they were encouraged to talk about their concerns and they could talk with anyone within the organisation right up the director if they wanted to.