Background to this inspection
Updated
21 April 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 4 and 5 March 2015. This was an unannounced inspection. The inspection was carried out by one inspector.
We previously inspected the service on the 17 December 2013. At that time the service was meeting the regulations inspected.
Prior to the inspection we reviewed the Provider Information Record (PIR). The PIR is a form that the provider submits to the Commission which gives us key information about the service, what it does well and what improvements they plan to make. We reviewed the previous inspection reports and other information we held about the service. We also contacted professionals involved with the service to obtain their views about the care provided. All of the feedback we received was positive.
People who used the service were unable to communicate verbally with us. We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us.
We spoke with seven staff which included the registered manager. We spoke with three relatives by telephone after the inspection and received feedback from a dietitian, a day centre and the Quality in Care team from Buckinghamshire County Council. We looked at a number of records relating to people’s care and the running of the home. These included four care plans, medicine records for three people, three permanent staff files, three agency staff records, accident/incident reports and audits. We observed staff practices and walked around the home to review the environment people lived in.
Updated
21 April 2015
This inspection took place on the 4 and 5 March 2015 and was unannounced. We previously inspected the service on the 17 December 2013. At that time the service was meeting the regulations inspected.
4 Ashley Drive is a care home which provides accommodation and personal care for up to six people with learning and or physical disabilities.
At the time of our inspection there were five people living in the home. There was a registered manager in post. 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.
Systems were in place to safeguard people who lacked capacity to make decisions on their care. It is recommended the provider ensures decisions made by other professionals are also recorded. Relatives told us they felt their relative was safe. Staff were trained in safeguarding adults and protocols were provided on the action to take if such incidences occurred.
Staff were suitably recruited. Permanent staff were supported to meet people’s needs through induction, training and supervision. Agency staff were not always suitably trained, inducted and aware of people’s needs and risks to enable them to safely meet people’s needs. The home had a number of staff vacancies and used agency staff on a regular basis to cover shifts. Relatives and staff felt this resulted in inconsistent care for people. The provider was aware of this and was trying to address it. Staff worked well as a team. They were motivated and enthusiastic in developing the service to provide the best care to people.
Medicines were administered to people safely. Care plans recorded the support people needed. These were detailed and kept under review which ensured staff provided consistent care for people. People had a weekly programme of day centre activities and had access to leisure activities and community involvement. Records were maintained of what people ate and drank but these were not consistently completed and guidance was not in place to indicate the required fluid intake for people.
Relatives told us they were happy with the care provided and said their relatives was always nicely dressed, presented and well groomed. Staff had a good understanding of people’s needs and were responsive to them. We saw staff were kind, gentle, respectful, caring and engaged positively with people. They offered people person centred care and encouraged and enabled them to be involved in all aspects of their care.
Risks to people, staff and visitors were identified, addressed and managed which promoted safe care and a safe working environment. The home was clean, well maintained and systems were in place to prevent the risks of cross infection. Accident and incidents were appropriately managed which ensured people’s safety.
The provider had systems in place to satisfy themselves that the service was being effectively managed and monitored. Staff and relatives were happy with the way the home was run. They told us the registered manager was approachable and they supported staff well to provide safe care to people.
We found a breach of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2010, which from the 1 April 2015 is the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of the report.