Outlook Care - Dagenham Road

We found the following examples of good practice.

Safe arrangements were in place for friends and family members to visit people who used the service. Visiting was allowed in line with the government guidance at the time of inspection. When there had been more restrictive guidance in place around visiting care homes, the service had sought to enable people to maintain contact with relatives as much as possible, for example, through using the garden for visits and encouraging the use of electronic communication between people.

On arrival at the service staff took the temperature of any visitors and a plentiful supply of Personal Protective Equipment [PPE] was available to visitors. Information was on display around the premises about how to keep safe.

Although visiting professionals were asked by staff to demonstrate their vaccine status on arrival at the premises, this was not recorded.

During the pandemic, there were two new admissions to the service. COVID-19 tests were carried out on them before they moved into the service. On admission, they spent the first week in an isolated part of the premises, so they had no contact with other people. They also had their own designated staff team which helped reduce the risk of the spread of infection.

All staff and people using the service had received COVID-19 vaccines and there was a routine testing schedule in place for both staff and people. Staff had undertaken recent training about infection prevention and control, which covered the use of PPE. There was a plentiful supply of PPE available at the service and staff were observed to be using it appropriately.

Policies and procedures were in place to help guide staff on good practice in relation to infection control and prevention. A monthly infection prevention and control audit was carried out by the manager. Cleaning schedules were in place to help ensure all areas of the premises were regularly cleaned. We saw the premises were visibly clean on the day of our inspection.

Outlook Care – Dagenham Road is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection. The service provides support to adults with mental health needs and is registered to support a maximum of eight people. Seven people were using the service at the time of inspection.

The service had a registered manager in place. 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.

Appropriate safeguarding procedures were in place. There were enough staff working at the service to meet people’s needs and robust staff recruitment procedures were in place. Risk assessments provided information about how to support people in a safe manner. Procedures were in place to reduce the risk of the spread of infection. Medicines were managed safely. Steps had been taken to help ensure the premises were safe.

Systems were in place to assess people’s needs before they started using the service to determine if those needs could be met. Staff received on-going training to support them in their role and new staff undertook an induction training programme. People were able to make choices for themselves and the service operated within the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. People told us they enjoyed the food. People were supported to access relevant health care professionals.

People told us they were treated with respect and that staff were caring. Staff had a good understanding of how to promote people’s privacy, independence and dignity. The service protected people’s right to confidentiality and sought to meet equality and diversity needs.

Care plans were in place which set out how to meet people’s individual needs. Care plans were subject to regular review. People were supported to engage in various activities. The service had a complaints procedure in place and people knew how to make a complaint.

Staff and people spoke positively about the registered manager and the working culture at the service. Quality assurance and monitoring systems were in place which included seeking the views of people who used the service.

The service is registered to provide accommodation and support with personal care for up to eight adults with mental health needs. At the time of inspection, the service had eight people using the service.

There was a registered manager in place 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.

Systems were in place to ensure people using the service were safe.

Policies and procedures were in place for safeguarding and whistleblowing and staff demonstrated a good understanding of safeguarding procedures and what actions they would take.

The service had a robust staff recruitment system. All staff had references and Criminal Record Checks were carried out.

The service had robust risk assessments in place. Risks assessments were detailed and included actions that had been taken to mitigate the risk.

Medicines were stored safely in people’s rooms in a lockable safe. People’s care plans included personalised information about the administration of medicines.

Staff recruitment was robust. Staff took part in an induction programme and extensive training courses. Staff received regular supervision and one to one sessions with management.

Care plans were personalised and people were involved in their assessments and care planning. People had access to healthcare professionals and referrals were made when needed. People were involved in cooking and meal times and food options were varied.

People using the service told us they were well cared for and that staff were caring. People were supported with their finances and these were monitored accordingly.

The registered manager had quality assurance practices in place to monitor the quality of the service and make improvements when necessary.

The provider had taken steps to provide care in an environment that is suitably designed and adequately maintained. We found that various safety checks had been carried out at the premises to make sure it was safe, for example of the gas and electrical systems in the home. We found that appropriate checks were carried out on staff including employment references and proof of identification such as a copy of their passport. People were made aware of the complaints system. This was provided in a format that met their needs. People told us that when they had made a complaint this had been dealt with to their satisfaction by the service.

We found that people were being supported and cared for based on individual assessed need. People were involved in making decisions about their care and treatment through every day interaction with staff and through stating their preferences and views in organised reviews of care. There were enough adequately trained staffed to support people's needs and suitable arrangements were in place to safeguard people from abuse. There was a system was in place to effectively monitor the quality of the service.