Archived: Plas Newydd

Plas Newydd is a care home for a maximum of five people who have a learning disability. It provides a service to younger adults, older people, people learning disabilities or autistic spectrum disorder, people with a physical disability and people with a sensory impairment. At the time of our inspection four people were using the service.

No registered manager was in post at the home at the time of our inspection. 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’s bedrooms are on the ground and first floors of the home, with bathrooms and toilets on both floors. Due to people’s reduced mobility the passenger lift is used to access the first floor rooms.

The care service has been developed and designed in line with the values that underpin the Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These values include choice, promotion of independence and inclusion. People with learning disabilities and autism using the service can live as ordinary a life as any citizen.

People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) regulates both the premises and the care provided and we reviewed both areas during this inspection.

There were systems and processes in place to protect people from harm. Risks to people's health and well-being were identified, planned for and managed. People had their medicines administered safely. There was sufficient suitably trained staff on duty to provide people with safe care and support when they needed it. Where incidents had happened, there was learning from these and this was used to help improve staff practice.

People’s needs were assessed and staff and other healthcare professionals worked together to ensure good outcomes for people. Staff were trained to support people with their individual needs and were supported in their roles. People were supported to maintain good health and had access to health and social care professionals when necessary.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People were supported by staff who treated them with kindness, compassion, respect and dignity. People were supported by staff to express their views where they were able to and have choice over their day to day care.

People received care and support that was centred around them and was individual to their specific needs and preferences. Staff supported people to take part in social activities and lead full and varied lives. Systems were in place which enabled staff to raise concerns on behalf of people. Relatives were able to speak with staff and management about any concerns they had.

The culture of the home was person centred. Staff cared about the people they supported, were knowledgeable about people and they had formed positive relationships with them. The quality and safety of the service was monitored, assessed and when needed, improvements were made.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

Plas Newydd is registered to provide accommodation with personal care to a maximum of five people who have a learning disability. There were five people living at the home on the day of our inspection.

The home has a registered manager who was present for some of our inspection. They do not currently have responsibility for the day to day management of the home and a temporary manager was in post. A registered manager was in post and was present during our inspection. 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.

Staff had been trained to recognise when people may be at risk of harm or abuse. Staff understood the procedures they needed to follow if this ever happened or they suspected it had. People were supported to take their medicine safely and when they needed it. Staff had received training to make sure they were confident and competent to assist people with their medicines.

Staffing levels and the skills mix of staff were sufficient to keep people safe and support their needs. Staff did not start working at the home until the provider had completed checks on their past employment and their background to make sure they were suitable to work with people who lived there.

Staff received the training and support they needed to make sure they understood people’s needs and supported them effectively.

People’s rights were protected when they could not make their own decisions. Where decisions were made on people’s behalf these were made in their best interests. Staff asked people’s permission before they supported them and made sure people understood what was being said to them.

People received enough to eat and drink and were encouraged to have a well-balanced diet. Staff sought advice from other professionals where there were risks to people’s ability to eat or drink or with their health and well-being.

People had good relationships with the staff that supported them. Staff treated people with respect and encouraged them to be as independent as they could be.

Staff spoke up on behalf of people in raising concerns or making complaints. People were kept involved in their own care and were supported to make their own choices and understand the choices available to them.

People were supported by staff to spend their time how they wanted to. People attended regular clubs and events and staff helped them to identify other things that could interest them.

People were encouraged to be involved in the running of the home and contributed to the recruitment process of new staff. The home had a positive and welcoming atmosphere where staff put people at the heart of the service.

Despite recent changes to management there had been no change in the continuity of the running of the home or the support people and staff received. Systems were in place to monitor the quality of the service staff provided and improvements were identified and made when necessary.

People appeared relaxed in the company of staff and were treated with respect and their independence was promoted. We saw people being offered choice with regard to where and how they wanted to spend their time.

Staff demonstrated a clear understanding of the individual needs of the people whose care we looked at in detail. We saw that staff had professional and positive relationships with people. We saw people were supported to maintain positive health. We saw people's health and wellbeing was closely monitored and reviewed in people's best interests.

Staff had received training on protecting vulnerable adults and told us they were confident to speak out if they observed poor or abusive practice.

Staff received a range of training to give them the skills and knowledge they needed to keep people safe and to meet their individual needs. Staff told us they enjoyed their work and felt well supported by the manager.

The service had effective systems in place to monitor and assess the quality of the service people received.

Staff demonstrated a good knowledge and understanding of the needs of the people they supported. They shared positive examples of how they offered people choices and promoted their independence. People led active lifestyles and enjoyed a range of leisure and social activities, both at home and in the local community.

People's health and welfare was closely monitored. People received their medication safely and as prescribed. Staff had effectively supported two people who required treatment in hospital. There were enough staff on duty to meet the needs of the people living at the home. We saw staffing was planned in advance and that this was flexible and dependent on activities and events.

Staff were aware of the complaints procedure and were confident in raising concerns on behalf of the people they supported.