Archived: SENSE - 36 Bramley Road

Updated 24 September 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 registered persons were 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.

Before our inspection we reviewed the information we held about the service. This included the notifications of incidents that the registered persons had sent us since the last inspection.

We visited the service on 26 August 2015. We gave the registered persons a short period of notice before we called to the service. This was because the people who lived in the service had complex needs for care and benefited from knowing that we would be calling. The inspection team consisted of a single inspector.

All of the people who used the service had special communication needs. They expressed themselves using a combination of words, signs and gestures. During the inspection we spoke or spent time with all of the people who lived in the service. We also spoke with three care workers and the registered manager. We observed care that was provided in communal areas and looked at the care records for all of the three people. In addition, we looked at records that related to how the service was managed including staffing, training and health and safety.

After the inspection visit we spoke by telephone with a relative and with two health and social care professionals. We did this so that they could tell us their views about how well the service was meeting people’s needs and wishes.

Updated 24 September 2015

This was an announced inspection carried out on 26 August 2015.

SENSE – 36 Bramley Road can provide accommodation for up to three people who have a learning disability and who live with reduced vision and hearing.

There were three people living in the service at the time of our inspection.

There was a registered manager. 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.

Staff knew how to recognise and report any concerns so that people were kept safe from harm. People were helped to avoid having accidents and their medicines were safely managed. There were enough staff on duty and background checks had been completed before new staff were appointed.

Staff had received the training and guidance they needed to assist people in the right way including helping them to eat and drink enough. People had received all of the healthcare assistance they needed. Staff had ensured that people’s rights were respected by helping them to make decisions for themselves. The Care Quality Commission is required by law to monitor how registered persons apply the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and to report on what we find. These safeguards protect people where they are not able to make decisions for themselves and it is necessary to deprive them of their liberty in order to keep them safe. In relation to this, the registered persons had consulted with the relevant local authorities to ensure that people only received lawful care and that their rights were protected.

People were treated with kindness, compassion and respect. Staff recognised people’s right to privacy, respected confidential information and promoted people’s dignity.

People had received all of the care they needed including people who had special communication needs or who were at risk of becoming distressed. People had been consulted about the care they wanted to receive and they were supported to celebrate their diversity. Staff had offered people the opportunity to pursue their interests and hobbies. There was a system for resolving complaints.

Regular quality checks had been completed and people had been consulted about the development of the service. The service was run in an open and inclusive way and people had benefited from staff receiving good practice guidance.