Crosby Close

We found the following examples of good practice.

The home was clean and well ventilated. Staff followed government guidance with their personal protective equipment (PPE) practices. The management team completed checks in this area of the staff's practice. Safe processes were in place when people needed to self-isolate because they were unwell. Staff checked on people to see if they were ok and happy while they were self-isolating.

The provider and staff were working within the principles and values that underpin Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. This ensured that people could 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’s experience of using this service:

¿ People’s relatives felt their family members were safe and very well cared for. Staff demonstrated a good understanding of the risks people faced in their day to day lives and the ways they could support them to minimise those risks.

¿ People were supported by sufficient numbers of staff who were well trained and competent to support people with complex health and care needs.

¿ People’s medicines were managed safely. The processes in place ensured that the administration and handling of medicines was suitable for the people who used the service.

¿ People’s healthcare was well monitored, and interventions were appropriately timed to ensure people remained as healthy as possible.

¿ People were supported by staff who understood the importance of respecting their choices and providing the support required whilst promoting and maintaining people’s independence. This enabled people to achieve positive outcomes and promoted a good quality of life.

¿ People were supported to have maximum 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.

¿ The registered manager was respected by the staff and promoted an open and transparent culture. The registered manager and staff understood their roles and responsibilities.

Rating at last inspection: The service was rated ‘Good’ at our last inspection. The report following that inspection was published on 18 August 2016.

Why we inspected: This was a planned inspection based on the rating at the last inspection.

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

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

1-2 Crosby Close provides accommodation, care, nursing and support for up to 12 people with learning and physical difficulties. At this inspection 10 people were living at the service.

A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to manage the service. The manager had applied to become registered with the CQC. 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 received care that met their needs and support plans gave staff clear guidance on how to support them safely. Staff had received appropriate training for their role and felt supported. We saw that there were sufficient staff to meet people’s needs in a timely way which was person centred.

Staff had been through a robust recruitment process to help ensure they were fit to work in a care setting. They were able to identify and report any concerns. People had their individual risks assessed and staff knew how to mitigate these. Medicines were also managed safely.

People had support to ensure they had enough to eat and drink and had access to health professionals when needed. Most people went out most days and there was one to one spent with people when they were at home.

People’s individual preferences, choices and lifestyles were known by staff. People were not always able to be involved in the planning of their care but relatives took an active role. Advocacy was available if it was needed.

There were systems in place to oversee the quality of the service and to ensure they complied with regulation. Feedback about the manager and leadership in the home was positive.

Staff ensured that people were respected and treated as individuals in their own rights. People's appearance was well presented and they were appropriately dressed to suit the weather and their age.

We found that the home had systems in place to reduce the risk and spread of infection. Regular infection control audits were undertaken and areas requiring attention were addressed.

We found that the premises were safe and adequately maintained. This meant that people were not at risk of unsafe premises.

Suitable arrangements were in place to ensure that staff were appropriately recruited. Checks were undertaken to ensure that those staff registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) were allowed to work by that body.

We found that the home's quality assurance processes ensured that the care provided to people was regularly reviewed and that it was safe and effective.

One of the people's relatives told us that they were satisfied with the care provided to their relative. They told us, 'there is an open door policy here which is very good' and that 'when my relative came here they needed a lot of support, Crosby Close sought advice from other professionals and have learned a great deal'.

Staff also told us Crosby Close was a nice place to work and that they felt supported by management. We were also told that people's privacy and dignity was respected and that staff always closed the doors when they're helping with personal care. We observed the home to be visibly clean on the day. All the people appeared to have had their personal care needs met.

Overall we found that standards were met.