13 September 2017
During a routine inspection
As we could not answer all the key lines of enquiry (KLOE) against the regulated activity we were not able to award a rating for the service.
This inspection took place on 13 September 2017, and was announced. We had told the provider 48 hours before the visit we were coming so they could arrange for staff to be available to talk with us about the service.
The home had 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.
At our last inspection in July 2016, there was one breach of the legal requirements and Regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008. (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. This breach was in relation to governance and oversight of the service. We found systems and processes to monitor the quality of the service were neither established nor operated effectively. The quality of the service was not assessed or monitored to ensure people’s care and support needs were being met. At the time there were 18 people using the service.
At this inspection, we found plans were in place to ensure the quality of the service was measured and action taken as a result of any issues or concerns identified. However, since our previous inspection, the number of people receiving support with personal care had reduced to one person only. Therefore, we could not be assured how effective governance and oversight was, as plans to ensure this was effective had not been fully implemented.
This meant the service remained in breach of one of the Regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008. (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of the report.
People were protected from the risk of harm and abuse by staff who had been trained and understood their responsibilities. Risks to people were assessed, but these assessments were not always clear or detailed enough to give staff the up to date and accurate information they needed. However, staff knew the one person they supported well and took appropriate action to minimise any risks associated with their care.
People were supported by care workers who received an induction into the service when they first started work. Care workers told us they completed the training required to meet people's needs and had their practice checked to make sure they put their learning into practice.
The registered manager had an understanding of the principles of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) and their responsibilities under the Act. Staff respected people's decisions and a relative told us staff were kind and caring.
Care records contained accurate information about the person’s support needs. Care calls were consistently provided at the times agreed. A relative was involved in planning their family member’s care needs and knew how to make a complaint.