Archived: Nottingham Community Housing Association Limited - 9 Blenheim Avenue

We used our SOFI (Short Observational Framework for Inspection) tool during the visit. The SOFI tool allows us to spend time watching what is going on in a service and helps us to record how people spend their time, the type of support they get and whether they have positive experiences. We conducted a SOFI observation in the dining room for 20 minutes at lunchtime. We saw staff communicated in a respectful and kind way with the person they were supporting. We saw they did not act against the person's wishes.

We saw that staff were caring and provided appropriate support during our observations. However, we found that some care records did not include appropriate guidance for staff about the support to be provided and how risks were being addressed.

A person using the service told us they liked their bedroom. We found that the provider had taken appropriate steps to provide care in an environment that is suitably designed and adequately maintained.

We found that staff received inductions, supervision, training and appraisals.

We found that people were made aware of the complaints system.

There was a relaxed atmosphere in the home and people were at ease in the company of the staff that supported them. Staff who worked at this home had completed a variety of training courses to ensure they had the appropriate skills and knowledge to care for people in this home safely and effectively. We noted they were courteous in their approach to people and interacted confidently with them. We observed that people were offered support at a level which encouraged independence and ensured that their individual needs were met.

The provider had systems in place to ensure people were involved in the quality monitoring processes for this service. People were encouraged to share their views and opinions to help improve the standard of care provision.