Archived: Dorset Learning Disability Service - 5 Grosvenor Crescent

5 Grosvenor Crescent is part of the Leonard Cheshire disability and provides care and accommodation for up to three people. On the day of the inspection two people lived within the home. 5 Grosvenor Crescent provides care for people who have a learning disability and may also have physical disabilities.

The service had 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.

During the inspection people and staff were relaxed, the environment was clean and clutter free. There was a calm and pleasant atmosphere.

People’s relatives and friends told us they felt their loved ones were safe. Advice was sought to help safeguard people and respect their human rights. All staff had undertaken training on safeguarding adults from abuse, they displayed good knowledge on how to report any concerns and described what action they would take to protect people against harm. Staff told us they felt confident any incidents or allegations would be fully investigated. The manager had sought and acted on advice where they thought people’s freedom was being restricted.

Care records were focused on giving people control. Staff responded quickly to people’s change in needs. People’s preferences were sought and respected. People’s life histories, disabilities and abilities were taken into account, communicated and recorded. Staff provided consistent personalised care, treatment and support. People’s risks were managed well and monitored.

People were promoted to live active lives and were supported to go out and use local services and facilities. Activities were meaningful and reflected people’s interests and individual hobbies. A relative told us their loved one enjoyed the activities staff enabled them to take part in.

People were supported to maintain a healthy balanced diet. Dietary and nutritional specialists’ advice was sought so that people with complex needs in their eating and drinking were supported effectively.

People had their medicines managed safely. People were supported to maintain good health through regular access to health and social care professionals, such as GPs, physiotherapists and speech and language therapists.

People received consistent co-ordinated care when they moved between services. Staff ensured individual preferences were respected and care needs continued to be met.

Staff were encouraged to be involved and help drive continuous improvements. This helped ensure positive progress was made in the delivery of care and support provided by the service.

People knew how to raise concerns and make complaints. An easy read version of the complaints policy was made available.

Staff received a comprehensive induction programme. There were sufficient staff to meet people’s needs. Staff were appropriately trained and had the correct skills to carry out their roles effectively. The service followed safe recruitment practices to help ensure staff were suitable to carry out their role.

Staff described the management as very open, supportive and approachable. Staff talked positively about their jobs. Comments included, “I really enjoy my job, I look forward to coming to work”, “My job is right down my street. I like to do something to improve people’s lives” and “This is what I like to do, I enjoy my job”.

There were effective quality assurance systems in place that monitored people’s satisfaction with the service. Timely audits were carried out and investigations following incidents and accidents were used to help make improvements and ensure positive progress was made in the delivery of care and support provided by the service.

People's care was planned and delivered so that people were safe and their well-being was promoted. Staff supported people to access specialist advice and treatment. One person had not been weighed in line with their assessed need. This could have led to staff not identifying a concern promptly.

We found there were effective systems in place to protect people from the risk of the spread of infection. Records showed that staff had received training in infection control and food hygiene. The home was clean and tidy, however a shower cubicle required attention and one bathroom floorboard needed replacing.

Staffing levels were determined by an assessment of need done by people's funding authority, and the provider's identification of people's specific needs at any given time. Records showed that staff had completed an induction and had received on-going training. An effective system was in place to ensure that no agency staff were used within the home.

The provider had a system of monitoring and checking the service. Where the manager took action in response to an identified concern we saw that they did not record it.

We saw staff caring for the needs of people in a professional manner. They ensured the people they cared for were supported in taking part in activities in the local community.

Records at the home were safely stored, accurate and up to date.

Staff we spoke with informed us they were supported through supervision with their line manager and through staff meetings on a regular basis. Staff told us that the induction they undertook when joining was thorough and they had the opportunity to undertake additional training as appropriate.

Staff at the home were aware of the local and national guidance relating to safeguarding vulnerable adults. They were aware of their role in caring for people with profound learning difficulties and had a good knowledge of the non-verbal communication people living at the home used.