Archived: Mrs P M Eales t/a Just Homes - 19 Douglas Close

Douglas Close is a small residential care home providing personal care to three adults at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to three people.

The service has been developed and designed in line with the principles and values that underpin Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. This ensures that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes. The principles reflect the need for people with learning disabilities and/or autism to live meaningful lives that include control, choice, and independence. People using the service receive planned and co-ordinated person-centred support that is appropriate and inclusive for them.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

People told us that the service they received was “above and beyond” what they ever expected when they moved to a home.

People were encouraged to follow interests and activities that added value to their lives. Staff supported people to do this, as well as put forward their ideas and be involved with the running of the home. People were also encouraged to maintain relationships that were important to them and be involved with activities that matched their interests.

The staff and the registered manager encouraged full involvement from the people living in the home. This included care plan reviews and suggested improvements to be made to the home. People’s needs were met in a holistic way and risks were assessed thoroughly and managed going forward.

People had access to health and social care professionals and referrals were made in a timely way. Staff worked well with other professionals to ensure the people living in the home received the best possible care.

People were kept safe by trained staff who had been safely recruited and completed a thorough induction process. Staff participated in constantly monitoring people’s care, risks and welfare to ensure the best possible care for people.

Staff supported people with their medicines and all medicines in the home were received, managed and administered in a safe way. People were supported to have a balanced diet and had input in to what they wanted to eat and were encouraged where necessary.

People knew how to make a complaint and there was a clear reporting and investigation process in place. The registered manager and all staff were aware of their roles and responsibilities and keen to learn from any lessons or improvements made in response to accidents or incidents.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. The service applied the principles and values of Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These ensure that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes that include control, choice and independence.

The outcomes for people using the service reflected the principles and values of Registering the Right Support by promoting choice and control, independence and inclusion. People's support focused on them having as many opportunities as possible for them to gain new skills and become more independent.

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

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was Good (published 5 September 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.

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 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

At the last inspection on 25 February 2015, the service was rated Good. At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

Why the service is rated Good

People were safe because staff understood risks involved in people’s care and took action to minimise these risks. There was sufficient staff on duty to ensure that people received the care they needed and to keep people safe. Staff understood their roles and responsibilities in keeping people safe and protecting them from harm and abuse. The registered manager carried out appropriate pre-employment checks before staff started work.

Medicines were managed, stored and administered safely. Accidents and incidents were recorded and reviewed with a plan in place to minimise the risk of them occurring again.

People’s care was provided by regular staff that knew their needs well and provided support in a consistent way. Staff had access to the induction, training and support they needed to do their jobs. People’s choices and views were respected. Care was provided in the least restrictive way to people.

People were supported to eat food they enjoyed and were encouraged to maintain a healthy diet. Staff were aware of dietary restrictions involved in people’s care. People’s health and well being were managed as they had access to the appropriate health and social care professionals. People who had ongoing conditions were supported to see specialist healthcare professionals regularly.

People enjoyed living at the home and had developed positive relationships with staff. Staff treated people with respect and maintained their privacy and dignity. People were supported to maintain relationships with their friends and families and were able to invite guests whenever they wished. People were encouraged to be independent and were supported by staff to learn and develop new skills.

People and their relatives were actively encouraged to give their views about the service they received and the registered manager responded positively to feedback. Staff were creative in how they supported people to be actively involved in their care.

People received care that was extremely person centred. People had access to activities they enjoyed and had opportunities to enjoy an active social life. People were very involved in their local and wider community.

The registered manager provided good leadership for the service. They were experienced in their role and communicated well with people, relatives and staff. Staff felt valued and had access to support and advice from the registered manager if they needed it. Staff shared important information about people’s needs effectively. Team meetings were used to ensure staff provided consistent care that reflected good practice.

The registered manager’s quality monitoring checks ensured people received safe and effective care and support. Staff worked co-operatively with other professionals to ensure people received the care and treatment they needed. Records were well organised and up to date.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

We found that people had given their consent to the care and treatment they received. When people had lacked the capacity to make a decision the provider had acted in accordance with legal requirements.

People had care plans that documented their views and wishes about how they wanted their care to be provided. People's care plans had been regularly updated.

Medicines were managed safely and appropriately within the home.

We found that there was sufficient staffing to meet people's needs. The provider monitored people's care needs and had applied for additional support for one person.

There was a complaints system which had been brought to people's attention.

The registered manager was not available on the day of the inspection so we were assisted by staff.

We found that people who used the service were very happy and settled in their home. They were very involved in decisions relating to their care and how it was delivered. They were treated with dignity and respect by staff that were well supported in their role. The staff team was very settled and keen to provide a good quality of care to people. The management had systems in place to ensure that people were provided with safe care of a good standard that met their needs.