Archived: Southlea Residential Care Home

We returned to the service on 25 February 2016 and found that improvements had been made and the regulations were met. This inspection was unannounced and took place on 15 November 2016.

Southlea is registered to provide accommodation for up to five people who have mental health needs and require support with personal care. There were five people living at the home on the day of our inspection.

A registered manager was in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service and has the legal responsibility for meeting the requirements of the law; as does the provider. There were two registered managers for the home who shared the role, one of whom was the provider.

The people we spoke with told us that they got on well together and they felt safe at the home. Staff had received training in safeguarding adults and were able to tell us of the action they would take to protect people who used the service from the risk of abuse. They told us they were certain the registered manager would take any concerns seriously.

There was a stable staff team in place who had worked at the service for many years and knew people well. This helped to ensure consistency and continuity of care for people.

The staff we spoke with had a good understanding of people’s risks, individual needs and personal preferences so that they could support people effectively.

Medicines were seen to be well managed and where appropriate people were supported to take their medicines independently.

We saw that the home was comfortable, clean and tidy. Systems were in place to reduce the risk of cross infection.

People told us they liked the food offered by the home and they could have what they wanted to eat. We found the kitchen was clean and well organised

To help promote their independence some people who used the service were responsible for cleaning their own bedrooms and make their own breakfast and snack meals, with support from staff as necessary.

The relationships we saw between people who used the service and support workers were warm and friendly. The atmosphere was calm and relaxed.

People who used the service had the capacity to make decisions about what they did with their time. We saw that to ensure people’s right to privacy they had keys to their bedrooms and they received mail unopened.

People confirmed that they had been involved in the development of their support plans were regularly asked if they agreed with them.

People participated in individual activities they wanted to be involved in, for example, going out shopping for clothes and lunch, bus rides, going to the gym and meeting up with family and friends where appropriate. People also enjoyed, listening to music, watching television and reading books.

People and staff members we spoke with said that the registered manager was approachable and supportive. Systems were in place to monitor the safety and quality of the service.

Southlea is registered to provide accommodation for up to five people who have mental health needs and require support with personal care. There were five people living at the home on the day of our inspection. We did not speak to any people who lived at the service during this inspection visit.

A registered manager was in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service and has the legal responsibility for meeting the requirements of the law; as does the provider.

It was noted that the registered manager had acted quickly to address the shortfalls we found at our last inspection.

We saw that staff had received the training they need to support people safely and effectively.

We saw evidence to show that the registered manager had taken action to seek the views of people who used the service and relatives.

People who used the service commented, “Staff are there when you need to talk and don’t make you feel too monitored. They let you do your own thing” and “I like them very much. They are very kind to me.”

Relatives who respond commented that they thought it was a pleasant, clean and welcoming home. One relative stated, “Good service. Good communication.”

The local authority quality assurance team had no concerns about the service.

' Is the service safe?

' Is the service caring?

' Is the service effective?

' Is the service responsive?

' Is the service well led?

Below is a summary of what we found. The summary is based on speaking with people who used the service, speaking with staff who supported them, observation and looking at records.

Is the service safe?

We spoke with three people who used the service. They told us they could speak to any member of staff if they had any worries or concerns. They said they were confident that the staff member would do their best to resolve the issue.

Staff told us that a health and safety check of each person's room and en suite bathroom was undertaken every week. This included areas such as cleaning the shower heads to help prevent the build-up of harmful bacteria.

We checked the employment records of two staff members. Records showed that the appropriate checks had been undertaken to ensure staff were suitable to work with vulnerable people.

Is the service caring?

Staff knew the people they cared for well including their backgrounds and personal preferences. People spoke positively about the staff team.

We saw there were frequent and friendly interactions between people who used the service and the staff who supported them.

Staff showed concern for people's wellbeing.

Information was readily available about the code of conduct expected to be followed by the staff this included the need to treat people with dignity and respect.

Is the service effective?

People who used the service were treated as individuals and took part in community activities that they liked to be involved in.

Support staff told us they promoted people's independence and encouraged them to do whatever they could for themselves.

Is the service responsive?

Some of the people using the service had seen a change or fluctuation in their health. We asked staff what action had been undertaken address these issues. We were told that staff had received the training they needed to support people. This included training in nutritional risk assessment as well as how to provide appropriate support to people who were subject to the supervised community treatment provisions of the Mental Health Act.

People were supported to maintain relationships with family and friends.

Is the service well led?

The home had a manager who was registered with the Care Quality Commission and who was qualified to undertake the role.

The manager was well organised and demonstrated a good awareness of the importance of documenting everything that happened in the home.

There were systems in place to ensure that people were happy with the service they received and to ensure their health and safety was protected.

We were aware that the registered manager was leaving the home and in the process of ensuring all the information that the provider may need was in place and easily accessible. People using the service and staff we spoke with said the registered manager 'was approachable and supportive' and 'will be missed'.

We saw that there was plenty of food available for people to eat. In the service user satisfaction questionnaire people confirmed that they had enough to eat and drink and that the food offered was good.

People living at the home told us that support workers helped them to clean their bedrooms and changed their bedding every week. To promote their independence some people who were able also took responsibility for other household tasks such as washing and drying the pots, vacuuming and polishing. People we spoke with told us that the home was always clean and tidy.

Everyone had their own bedroom with en suite toilet, hand wash basin and shower. We saw that a shower was in the process of being adapted to help a person living at the home maintain their independence.

We saw that there were frequent and friendly interactions between people and the support workers. The atmosphere was relaxed and friendly.

Prior to our visit we contacted the local authority commissioning team. They informed us that they had no concerns about the service provided.