6 October 2016
During a routine inspection
United Response - 17 Ella Bank Road is a registered home which provides accommodation and personal care to a maximum of three people with learning disabilities or autistic spectrum disorder.. There were two people who used the service at the time of our inspection.
A requirement of the provider’s registration is that they have 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 the time of our inspection there was a registered manager who had been at the service three years. The registered manager’s office was situated at another of the provider’s services.
Relatives told us they felt people were safe at the home. The registered manager and staff understood how to protect people they supported from abuse, and knew what procedures to follow to report any concerns. Staff had a good understanding of risks associated with people’s care needs and how to support them.
Recruitment procedures made sure staff were of a suitable character to care for people at the home.
At times there were not enough staff to support people’s needs. People were supported, on week days, by one member of staff and the registered manager acknowledged that the morning period was busy and had contributed to numerous medicine recording issues. The provider addressed this following our inspection and extra staff were allocated to provide additional support in the morning.
Medicines were stored and administered safely, and people received their medicines as prescribed however staff were not consistently recording when they had been given. This was being addressed by the registered manager. Audits were carried out of medicines to ensure they were managed in line with good practice guidelines and issues.
People were supported to attend health care appointments when they needed to maintain their health and wellbeing. People were supported to have a nutritious diet.
Staff were kind and supportive to people’s needs and people’s privacy and dignity was respected. People were encouraged to be independent and assisted with tasks around the home and shopping.
The management and staff teams understood the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS), and supported people in line with these principles. People were supported to make everyday decisions themselves, which helped them to maintain their independence. Where people were not able to make decisions, relatives, social workers and healthcare professionals were consulted for their advice and input.
People were supported to pursue their hobbies and interests both within and outside the home. Activities were arranged according to people’s individual preferences, needs and abilities. People who lived at the service were encouraged to maintain links with their families.
Relatives knew how to make a formal complaint and were able to discuss any concerns they had with staff. At the time of our inspection no complaints had been received.
Staff felt the management team were supportive and promoted an open culture within the home. Staff were able to discuss their own development and best practice in supervision and during regular team meetings. A programme of training and induction provided staff with the skills and knowledge to meet people’s needs.
The registered manager felt well supported by the provider who visited the home regularly. Their views and ideas about improving the service were encouraged.
The provider carried out audits to check the quality of care people received. Audits by the registered manager and team leader were conducted regularly to continually monitor and improve the quality of the service.