Sophia Care Home

Updated 5 May 2018

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 was a planned comprehensive inspection which took place on 26 October 2017. Our inspection was unannounced and was carried out by a single inspector.

Before the inspection we reviewed our records about the service, including previous inspection reports, statutory notifications and enquiries. We also spoke with a member of the local authority’s safeguarding and quality assurance team.

During our inspection we spoke with the manager, two people who lived at the home and two members of the care team. We spent time observing care and support being delivered in the communal areas, including interactions between staff members and people who lived at the home. We also spoke with two family members. We looked at records, which included three people’s care records, two staff records, policies and procedures, medicines records, and records relating to the management of the service.

Updated 5 May 2018

Our comprehensive inspection of Sophia Care Home inspection took place on 26 October 2017 and was unannounced. At our last comprehensive inspection on 20 and 26 August 2015 we rated the service as good. However improvement was required in the area of “effective” as the provider had failed to meet the requirements of the Mental Capacity act (2005). We returned to the home on 30 January 2017 to review actions taken in relation to this. At this focused inspection we found that the provider had addressed the failure and was subsequently rated good in all areas.

Sophia Care Home is a care home registered for seven people with a learning disability situated in Kenton. At the time of our inspection there were seven people living at the home. The people who used the service had significant support needs because of their learning disabilities or mental health conditions. Some people had additional needs such as autistic spectrum conditions, communication impairments and epilepsy.

The manager at the home is the registered provider. Registered providers have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

People told us that they felt safe living at Sophia Care Home. We saw that people were comfortable and familiar with the staff supporting them.

Staff members had received training in safeguarding of adults, and were able to demonstrate their understanding of what this meant for the people they were supporting. They were knowledgeable about their role in ensuring that people were safe and that concerns were reported appropriately.

Medicines at the service were well managed. People’s medicines were managed and given to them appropriately and records of medicines were well maintained.

We saw that staff at the service supported people in a caring and respectful way, and responded promptly to meet their needs and requests. There were enough staff members on duty to meet the needs of the people using the service.

The service was meeting the requirements of The Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). Information about capacity was included in people’s care plans. A Deprivation of Liberty safeguarding authorisation had been obtained for a person who had been assessed as being unable to make decisions about their care or leave the home unaccompanied.

Staff who worked at the service received regular relevant training and were knowledgeable about their roles and responsibilities. Appropriate checks took place as part of the recruitment process to ensure that staff were suitable for the work that they would be undertaking. All staff members received regular supervision from a manager and those whom we spoke with told us that they felt well supported.

We saw that the meals provided to people were healthy and varied. Alternatives were offered where people chose to eat other foods, and drinks and snacks were available to people throughout the day.

Care plans and risk assessments were person centred and provided detailed guidance for staff around meeting people’s needs.

The service provided a range of activities for people to participate in throughout the week. An annual holiday took place for people who were unable to take holidays with their relatives. Staff members supported people to participate in activities of their choice. People’s cultural, religious and social needs were supported by the service and detailed information about these was contained in people’s care plans.

The service had a complaints procedure that was provided in an easy read format. People told us that they would tell the manager or staff member if they were unhappy about anything.

People’s health needs were regularly reviewed. The service liaised with health professionals to ensure that people received the support that they needed.