Background to this inspection
Updated
12 March 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 checked 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 inspection took place on 15th October 2014 and was announced. The registered provider was given 48 hours notice because the location was a small care home for younger adults who are often out during the day; we needed to be sure that some of the people who used the service would be available to speak with.
The inspection team consisted of an adult social care inspector and an expert by experience. An expert by experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service. The expert by experience for this inspection had experience of services who supported people with a learning disability.
Before our inspection on 15th October 2014 we reviewed the information we held on the service. This included notifications we had received from the provider, about incidents that affect the health, safety and welfare of people who lived at the home and any comments or concerns.
We spoke with a range of people about the service. They included the homes manager, the member of staff on duty and five people who lived at the home. We also spoke to the commissioning department at the local authority and contacted Healthwatch Blackpool prior to our inspection. Healthwatch Blackpool is an independent consumer champion for health and social care. This helped us to gain a balanced overview of what people experienced when living at this home.
During the inspection we looked at the care records of two people living at the home, training records of the manager and staff member on duty, records relating to the management of the home and the medication records of five people.
Updated
12 March 2015
This inspection took place on 15th October 2014 and was announced. The registered provider was given 48 hours notice because the location was a small care home for younger adults who are often out during the day; we needed to be sure that some of the people who used the service would be available to speak with.
When we last inspected the service we found breaches of legal requirements relating to records in respect of people’s care. This was because we identified the homes care records were not up to date. We found the daily notes recording the support people had received had not been completed for two months. We also found people's care plans were not being kept under review for their effectiveness. The provider responded by sending the Care Quality Commission (CQC) an action plan of how they had addressed the breaches identified. We found the improvements the provider told us they had made had been maintained during this inspection.
The home is situated in the South Shore area of Blackpool. The home has six bedrooms, a lounge and dining kitchen and a yard area to the rear of the premises. The service provides care for people who have a learning disability.
Prior to this inspection the manager had submitted an application to be registered with CQC. This was being dealt with by CQC’s registration team when the visit to the home took place.
A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.
Suitable arrangements were in place to protect people from abuse and unsafe care. Staff had received safeguarding training and understood their responsibilities to report any unsafe care or abusive practices. People we spoke with told us they felt safe and their rights and dignity were respected.
We found sufficient staffing levels were in place to provide the support people required. We saw the staff member on duty had time to spend socially with the people in their care and could undertake her tasks supporting people without feeling rushed.
We found medication procedures in place at the home were safe. Staff responsible for the administration of medicines had received training to ensure they had the competency and skills required. Medicines were safely kept and appropriate arrangements for storing were in place. People told us they received their medicines at the times they needed them.
The home was well maintained and clean and hygienic when we visited. The people we spoke with said they were happy with the standard of accommodation provided.
Staff spoken with were positive about working for the provider and felt well supported. They said they received regular training to make sure they had the skills and knowledge to meet people’s needs.
People were happy with the variety and choice of meals available to them. Regular snacks and drinks were available to them between meals to ensure they received adequate nutrition and hydration.
People living at the home had freedom of movement both inside and outside the home. They were involved in decision making about their personal care needs and the running of the home. We saw no restrictions on people’s liberty during our visit.
The manager used a variety of methods to assess and monitor the quality of the service. These included annual satisfaction surveys, ‘house meetings’ and care reviews. We found people were very satisfied with the service they were receiving. The manager and staff member were both clear about their role and responsibilities and were committed to providing a high standard of care and support to people who lived at the home.