Archived: Choice Support - 5 Bowley Close

Updated 1 March 2017

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check 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 unannounced inspection took place on 16 January 2017 and was carried out by a single inspector.

Before the inspection, we reviewed the information we held about the service including statutory notifications received. A notification is information about important events which the provider is required to tell us about by law. We used this information to plan the inspection.

During the inspection we spoke with the registered manager and four members of care staff. We reviewed two people’s care records and their medicines administration records charts. We viewed five records relating to staff including recruitment, training, supervision, appraisals and duty rotas. We looked at monitoring reports on the quality of the service.

We undertook general observations and formal observations of how staff treated and supported people throughout the service. We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us.

After the inspection we spoke with two relatives and received feedback from two healthcare professionals.

Updated 1 March 2017

Choice Support – 5 Bowley Close provides accommodation and support for up to four people who have autistic spectrum disorders and learning disabilities. At the time of our inspection there were three people living at the service.

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

People received safe care and support. Staff understood the types of abuse which could happen to people and their responsibility to report any concerns to keep them safe. Appropriate procedures for safeguarding adults from abuse were in place. Staff assessed risks to people and had support plans in place to keep them as safe as possible. There were sufficient staff on duty to meet people’s needs.

The service had systems in place to ensure that people were protected from risks associated with their health. Assessments contained guidance for staff on how to reduce the identified risks to protect people from harm. Accidents and incidents were recorded and monitored to identify how to reduce the risk of a recurrence. People received support to take their medicines. Medicines were managed safely.

Staff had the skills and knowledge they required to undertake their role. Staff received relevant training as well as regular supervision and appraisal to support them in their role.

Staff treated people with kindness, compassion, dignity and respect. We saw positive and friendly interactions between staff and people. People and their relatives were involved in planning care and had input into review meetings.

People were supported to eat and drink. Staff were aware of people's dietary needs and their likes and dislikes. People were supported to meet their health needs effectively and to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Staff had an understanding of the systems in place to protect people who could not make decisions about their care needs. Assessments of people’s capacity were carried out where necessary. Staff supported people in line with the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. We have made a recommendation on the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards to ensure authorisations.

People received individualised support that met their needs. Care plans were person centred and reflected individual's preferences. There was a complaints procedure as well as an accident and incident reporting. People using the service, relatives and staff said the registered manager was approachable and supportive.

Staff felt supported in their role to provide care to people. People and staff felt able to speak with the registered manager and provided feedback on the service. The registered manager undertook checks on the quality of the service and made improvements when necessary.

The registered manager worked in partnership with healthcare professionals to ensure people received the support they needed.