Archived: Romsey Winchester Avenue

People's experience of using this service:

There was not a registered manager in place when we conducted our inspection. However, the acting registered manager was described as being approachable by people and staff.

The provider's quality assurance systems had failed to ensure CQC were always kept up to date with changes at the service.

Care records and risk assessments were being reviewed at the time of our inspection visit by the acting manager, to ensure records were brought up to date and were person centred.

People's safety had been considered and risks were managed by staff who knew people well.

Staff had received training in relation to safeguarding and knew how to protect people from harm.

Medicine was managed safely.

The buildings were clean and comfortable with plenty of room for people to live. People told us they felt safe with staff.

The risk of any infection spreading was reduced by the maintenance of good hygiene practice.

The provider delivered person-centred care. People’s needs were assessed to ensure the service could be tailored to meet their individual social, care and health needs.

People’s outcomes and long-term goals were considered, to ensure people achieved those goals.

People were supported to have choice and control of their lives, and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

Health care was focussed on ensuring people's on-going wellbeing and concentrated on improving people’s health.

People enjoyed living at the home and told us staff were kind and respectful of their choices. People were treated kindly and compassionately by staff.

People were supported to express their views and make decisions about the care and treatment they received.

Staff respected people's privacy and dignity.

People were supported to take part in activities of their choice.

Information was provided in a range of formats to support people’s understanding.

People could access spiritual support to meet their religious beliefs.

The provider had a complaints policy and process in place; people told us they would feel comfortable raising complaints.

When people reached the end of their life, the provider had policies in place to meet their wishes and preferences.

People, stakeholders and staff had an opportunity to shape the service.

The provider invested in staff development to ensure people received care from experienced and caring leaders.

Rating at last inspection: Good. The last report for Romsey Winchester was published in September 2016.

Why we inspected: This was a planned comprehensive inspection that was scheduled to take place in line with Care Quality Commission scheduling guidelines for adult social care services.

Follow up: We will continue to monitor the service to ensure it meets its regulatory requirements.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Romsey and Winchester Avenue specialises in providing 24 hour supported living ‘aftercare services’; primarily for people who have been detained under the Mental Health Act 1983 and then discharged from certain sections of the Act. The provider works closely with other professional organisations in providing the agreed care and support people need.

The provider is registered to provide accommodation and personal care for up to 13 people who live in individual flats situated on Romsey Avenue and Winchester Avenue. These flats are located in seven neighbouring properties, each identified by their own house number. The registered manager has an office located in one of the occupied homes, 46 Romsey Avenue. This property had a communal lounge and kitchen area which meant people living in their individual flats had an area they could meet in if they wished, away from their own home and meant people could get together to socialise. At the time of our visit, 12 people received care and support.

This service was last inspected on 31 May 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.

This service had a registered manager in post at the time of our inspection. 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 enjoyed living at Romsey and Winchester Avenue and they considered it their home. People received care that enabled them to live their lives to the full, as people’s needs and their wishes were placed at the forefront of the service. Staff consistently included people in making their own decisions and care was delivered in partnership with their wishes. The provider recognised the importance of including people’s wishes and centred people’s care and support around their expressed wishes and needs. This was achieved by including people and their families or representatives when care decisions needed to be made or reviewed. This ensured people agreed to their care and all of their care needs matched their individual requirements, abilities and preferences, from their own personal perspective.

Care plans contained relevant information for staff to help them provide the individual care people required. People’s care and support was provided by a consistent, experienced and knowledgeable staff team. Staff knew people very well and staff provided the care in line with people’s agreed care records.

The provider and registered manager’s values were understood and consistently applied and shared across the staff team. The vision of supporting people with mental illness was at the heart of the service and was shared by the staff team that supported people living there. Staff were enthusiastic and positive about their work in enabling people to improve their mental health and be as independent as possible. People were encouraged and supported by caring and compassionate staff to follow their agreed mental and physical care needs. Staff were well trained and effectively used their skills and knowledge to develop trusting relationships with people using techniques in response to individual needs.

People told us they felt safe living at Romsey and Winchester Avenue and staff knew how to keep people safe from the risk of abuse. Staff understood what actions to take if they had any concerns for people's wellbeing or safety.

People were supported to pursue various hobbies and leisure activities which enabled them to strengthen and build relationships within the home and wider community. Potential risks were considered positively so that people did things they enjoyed and kept in touch with those people who were important to them. Where potential risks to people's safety were identified, these were kept under regular review and enabled them to live their lives with minimal restrictions. Staff provided person centred care which was designed and delivered in line with people’s wishes. Staff constantly promoted people's independence whenever possible; towards achieving individual goals.

People were involved in menu planning and had choices about food and drink. People said the food was good.

People, other healthcare professionals and relatives feedback on the service was sought by the provider. Analysis ensured improvement actions were taken to improve the service.

People told us they felt they could raise concerns or complaints if they needed to because the registered manager and staff were always available and approachable.

The provider had quality monitoring processes which included audits and checks on medicines

management, care records and staff practices. Where improvement was needed, action was taken.

People we spoke with told us that the care that was discussed with them matched the care that was provided to them. We saw that there were regular reviews of people's care and support strategies. We saw that staff listened to people about their care needs and their wishes. We saw people's independence was promoted within their care plans and on the day of our inspection.

We found that the care plans were person centred and reflected people's individual needs. We saw the members of staff supported people as detailed within their care plans. We observed that staff were compassionate and caring when supporting people.

People we spoke with told us that staff were friendly and supported their needs well. We saw staff knew what people's care needs were and how they needed to be supported.

We spoke with three staff members about what they thought abuse was and they showed they had a good awareness of the importance of keeping people safe. They understood their responsibilities for reporting any concerns regarding potential abuse.

We found the service was well led and had systems in place to monitor the quality of service being provided.

People who used the service lived in one of the seven accommodations at Romsey Winchester Avenue and shared with one or more people who also used the service. People could meet together when they wished in a shared lounge which was part of the main building and also where the care service office was located.

The people who used the service told us 'All the staff are friendly, we work well together' and 'Staff are respectful and very good.' We found that staff knew people who used the service as individuals and how people wanted to be supported with their well being. We saw that people were relaxed and at ease with staff and within the home environment.

Each person had a care plan and their individual needs were clearly written down with guidance to staff about how the person wished to be supported to maintain their well being.

Staff told us they felt supported by the manager and had the skills necessary skills to deliver the care people using the service required.

We found procedures in place to protect people from harm. Staff we spoke with described what these were and how they would report any suspicion that a person who used the service had been at risk of harm from abuse.