Petersham Centre Care Home

We inspected this service on 29 September 2017. This was an announced inspection as we wanted to ensure there were people available to tell us about the service. This inspection was completed by one inspector. At our last inspection in September 2015 we found the service to be meeting the requirements of the regulations and we rated the service as ‘Good’. At this inspection the service remains ‘Good’.

The service was registered to provide accommodation and personal care for up to 16 people with learning disabilities. The home was divided into three units. One unit for those developing skills to enable them to be independent, a unit for people who required more support and a short stay unit for people to receive respite. Some people had lived at the home for long periods whilst others accessed the home for short term respite care. At the time of our inspection, there were nine people using the service on a permanent basis and seven using the service for respite.

The service 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 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

People felt there was enough staff to support their needs and they made them feel safe. Risks relating to the environment and activities had been assessed and reviewed. If required equipment had been ordered to make the environment safe.

The provider had followed a recruitment process that ensured people were supported by staff whose suitability had been checked. Staff told us the training available to them was varied and provided them with the skills they required for their role.

People received their medicines as prescribed and there was a flexible approach when people went out or changed their daily routine. There was a varied choice of meals and people felt they could be part of the menu planning for their meals. Some people were supported to cook their own meals and other people had been engaged in making the meal for the other people using the service.

We saw some people were unable to make some decisions. In these instances people had been supported through a best interest approach. Some people were under constant supervision and for these people an application had been made to ensure this was done legally

The staff had developed positive relationships with people and embraced their activities and interests. People were respected in relation to their decisions and their environment when they received personal care. Relatives were welcome at the home and opportunities had been made to maintain relationships.

There was a complaints policy which had been followed when required. People felt able to raise any concerns and were confident they would be addressed. People’s opinions had been considered in making improvements.

The provider used a range of audits to maintain standards and consider improvements. The registered manager understood the requirements in relation to notifying us of events. We saw the rating had been displayed in the reception of the home and it was also accessible on the providers website.

One person told us they liked the food at the home and enjoyed being included in making drinks for themselves. We saw that meal choices ensured a balanced diet was offered. Another person told us they worked voluntarily with a staff member in the kitchen and washed the dishes after the meals as one of their activities. We found people were provided with medicines that were stored safely and given as directed.

One person told us they thought the home was a nice place. Another person told us they could ask any member of staff for help and it would be given to them. We saw audits took place to monitor the quality of the service.

People using the service told us they were asked their opinions and helped to make decisions when needed.

Two relatives told us the care was good. One relative explained 'sometimes the week end staff do not seem to get things completely right but on the whole, I have no concerns. My relative is happy to go to Petersham Centre Care Home'.

People we spoke with and their relatives told us they were provided with comfortable accommodation at all times. One relative told us 'the place has had a full refurbishment and is really nice now.' People using the service who spoke with us also told us they were satisfied with the accommodation provided. One person told us, 'we get to choose the room were prefer, I like my room'.

We asked two people if they thought the staff were suitable to support them. They told us they thought the staff were safe and helpful to them. They expressed no concerns in this area.

We asked people at the service if they knew how to let someone know if they were not happy at the home. One person told us they would ask staff for help. Another person told us 'I would talk to my parent if I needed help with something that staff could not help with but normally I would talk to staff first'.