Background to this inspection
Updated
7 February 2020
The inspection
We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.
Inspection team
The inspection was carried out by one inspector
Service and service type
The Minims (12 & 31) is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a 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 had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.
Notice of inspection
This inspection was unannounced.
What we did before inspection
We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We spoke with two people receiving a service and five members of staff including care staff, deputy manager and registered manager. We also spoke with the providers regional manager. 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.
We reviewed a range of records. This included two people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at two staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.
After the inspection
We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at training data and quality assurance records. On 27 January 2020 we spoke with two relatives and a social care professional who regularly visit the service.
Updated
7 February 2020
About the service
The Minims (12 & 31) is a residential care home providing personal care to 10 people who have a learning disability and some who have a mental health diagnosis. The home can accommodate up to 12 people.
The home comprises of two separate bungalows within the same street, numbers 12 and 31. Each bungalow can accommodate six people. There were four people living at number 12 and six people living at number 31 at the time of this inspection.
The service has been developed and designed in line with the principles and values that underpin Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. This ensures that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes. The principles reflect the need for people with learning disabilities and/or autism to live meaningful lives that include control, choice, and independence. People using the service receive planned and co-ordinated person-centred support that is appropriate and inclusive for them.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People told us they liked living at the home and felt safe. Relatives told us they never had concerns about people’s safety. Risks to people’s health and welfare were assessed and staff knew the measures in place to keep people safe. Staff were knowledgeable about safeguarding procedures and how to report their concerns internally and externally. Staff administered people’s medicines safely.
People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.
The service applied the principles and values of Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These ensure that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes that include control, choice and independence.
The outcomes for people using the service reflected the principles and values of Registering the Right Support by promoting choice and control, independence and inclusion. People's support focused on them having as many opportunities as possible for them to gain new skills and become more independent.
Staff were knowledgeable about people’s dietary needs and they were supported by health professionals if needed to ensure people ate and drank well.
Staff told us they had training to help them understand their roles. They felt supported by their managers.
People received joint up care from staff working at the home as well as health and social care professionals. There were regular reviews of people’s care to ensure the support they received fully met their needs.
People and relatives told us staff were kind and caring and they trusted staff. Staff involved people as much as possible, relatives where appropriate or independent advocates in people’s care to ensure the care people received was in their best interest.
People were supported to attend day centres and plan the activities they liked to do regularly like shopping, going to cinema and gardening. Regular outings were organised so that people could visit places. Complaints were recorded, and actions taken to address all the issues raised by the complainant.
Audits completed by the registered manager and the provider were effective in identifying areas in need of improvement and actions were taken to improve the quality of the service provided
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection
The last rating for this service was requires improvement (published 09 January 2019).
Why we inspected:
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.