Archived: Selwyn House

Selwyn House is a residential centre run by the local authority. It provides accommodation and personal care for up to eight people with learning disabilities. Some of the people staying there also have physical disabilities. Everybody using the service lives there on a temporary basis under an arrangement known as residential short breaks. Most of the people staying at Selwyn House will continue to visit on a regular basis.

The last full inspection of the service was carried out in November 2013. No concerns were identified with the care being provided to people at that inspection.

There was a registered manager in post. 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.

The building had been refurbished since the last inspection in response to the needs of people using the service. The registered manager explained how it was a “blank canvas”. They planned to invite people using the service to decorate it with their own art creations, so it was owned and run for them. They had plans for a sensory garden so people with an interest in gardening could continue their hobby during their respite stay.

People were supported to take part in activities as far as possible within a short stay respite setting. Staff planned activities three to four weeks in advance knowing which people would be returning to the home in that time. During the day most people would either go to work or the day centre, people who stayed in the home were enabled to continue to follow a hobby. One person said, “This new home is great they have Wi-Fi and I can play on my Xbox and download my music.”

There were procedures in place to keep people safe. These included a robust recruitment process and training for all staff to make sure they were able to recognise and report any suspicions of abuse. People told us they felt safe when they stayed at the home. One person said, “Yes safe as houses.”

There were sufficient numbers of staff to keep people safe and to provide care and support in an unhurried manner. People told us staff were always kind and caring. Throughout the inspection there was a cheerful, relaxed and caring atmosphere.

The management of the home was described as open and approachable and we were told by people and staff that they would be comfortable to raise any concerns. Where concerns had been raised within the home, appropriate action had been taken to make sure people were fully protected.

The registered manager’s philosophy for the way they saw the support they provided was to ensure people’s lives were, “Enriched and better, providing a person centred environment where they can be relaxed, open, honest and happy. This is only achieved if it is customer focused throughout.” This was reflected in the way staff spoke about enabling people to do what they wanted and when they wanted to. The registered manager’s philosophy was reflected in team meetings and the day to day running of the home.

People were able to make choices about all aspects of their day to day lives. Staff were able to use a variety of communication methods to help people to make choices. Where people lacked the capacity to make decisions for themselves, staff knew how to support them in accordance with their legal rights.

Everyone had a support plan which was personal to them, and people or their representatives were involved in reviews of their care. Support plans gave information about people’s needs, wishes and preferred routines. This meant staff had enough information to provide appropriate support to each individual.

Medicines were administered safely. Medicines were administered by staff who had received suitable training. Safe procedures were followed when recording medicines. Medicines administration records (MAR) were accurate. There were no unexplained gaps in the medicines administration records. Audits of medicines had been completed and appropriate actions taken to monitor safe administration and storage.

During our visit we saw that people were treated with respect and dignity. We looked at support plans and daily records and saw that people's choices were recorded. A relative told us that they were 'absolutely delighted' with the care their relative received.

We saw that support plans and risk assessments contained detailed information to keep people safe. Relatives told us that they were happy with the care people received at Selwyn House. One of them said, 'It is very good.'

We looked at the suitability of the premises. Planned improvements had not begun but we were told that work would begin within the next two months. We found that the premises were safe to use. A relative said 'It's obviously time for an update.' Another said, "It's always been clean and tidy whenever I come in.'

We found that there were enough skilled and experienced staff to care for people. We saw examples of how staffing was increased in response to people's changing needs.

We saw that the provider monitored quality and made sure that people were kept safe. The manager explained how they were improving feedback from relatives. This included involving them in the planned building improvements.

People received care and treatment that met their assessed needs as part of arrangements known as 'residential short breaks'. One person's relative told us, 'My [relative's] key worker calls me two days before [my relative] is due to come in again and asks me if there are any changes that they needed to know about.' Another person said, 'I am very happy with the care given to [my relative] here.'

There was an accurate and robust system for receiving, storing, handling and administering medication.

When we previously inspected Selwyn House in March 2012 we suggested to the provider that the premises needed refurbishment. During our inspection on 28 March 2013 we found there were plans to commence work during the summer of 2013 in order to modernise the building.

Staff were properly trained according to the standards set out by the care sector skills council. Staff were also supervised effectively and regarded supervision as a learning experience.

The provider had a display that encouraged people to make comments or complaints about the service to the county council. People said they were confident that the manager would respond positively to complaints or comments about the service.