We inspected Wallace Mews on 22 and 23 December 2015. This was an unannounced inspection which meant that the staff and provider did not know that we would be visiting. Wallace Mews is a purpose built care home that provided care for up to 15 people with learning disabilities and people with a physical disability. The home is formed from two converted houses and operates over three floors.
The registered manager has been in post since 2013. 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 the inspection 14 people lived at the home and we met nine of the people who used the service. They told us that they were very happy with the service and found it met their needs.
We found that the registered manager and staff consistently ensured people were supported to lead an independent lifestyle. Staff readily identified triggers that would lead people to become distressed or that their mental health was deteriorating. We found this had a very positive impact on people and led to a marked reduction the number of occasions people were admitted to hospital.
Staff were aware of how to respect people’s privacy and dignity. We saw that staff supported people to make choices and decisions.
We saw that detailed assessments were completed, which identified people’s health and support needs as well as any risks to people who used the service and others. These assessments were used to create plans to reduce the risks identified as well as support plans.
We saw that people were offered plenty to eat and assisted to select healthy food and drinks which helped to ensure that their nutritional needs were met. We saw that each individual’s preference was catered for and people were supported to manage their weight.
We saw there were systems and processes in place to protect people from the risk of harm. We found that staff understood and appropriately used safeguarding procedures.
People were supported to maintain good health and had access to healthcare professionals and services. People were supported and encouraged to have regular health checks and were accompanied by staff to hospital appointments. We saw that people had hospital passports. The aim of a hospital passport is to assist people with a learning disability to provide hospital staff with important information they need to know about them and their health when they are admitted to hospital.
Staff had received a range of training, which covered mandatory courses such as fire safety, infection control and first aid as well as condition specific training such as working with people who have learning disabilities. Staff had also received training around the application of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards. The staff we spoke with fully understood the requirements of this Act and were ensuring that where appropriate this legislation was used.
Staff shared with us a range of information about how they as a team worked very closely with people to make sure the service enabled each person to reach their potential.
People and the staff we spoke with told us that there were enough staff on duty. We found there were sufficient staff on duty to meet people’s needs.
Effective recruitment and selection procedures were in place and we saw that appropriate checks had been undertaken before staff began work. The checks included obtaining references from previous employers to show staff employed were safe to work with vulnerable people.
We reviewed the systems for the management of medicines and found that people received their medicines safely.
We saw that the registered manager had an effective system in place for dealing with people’s concerns and complaints. We found that people felt confident that staff would respond and take action to support them.
We found that the building was very clean and well-maintained. Appropriate checks of the building and maintenance systems were undertaken to ensure health and safety, relevant infection control procedures were followed by the staff at the home. We found that action was taken to minimise known risks.
The registered manager had developed a range of systems to monitor and improve the quality of the service provided. We saw that the registered manager had implemented these and used them to critically review the service.