Brighton & Hove City Council - Craven Vale Resource Centre

Craven Vale Resource Centre provides personal care and support for up to 31 people at the time of our inspection 24 people were using the service. It provides care to people on short-term placements. People are supported with reablement following discharge from hospital, to regain their independence and ability to return home.

People's experience of using this service and what we found

There was a welcoming environment. We saw many positive interactions between staff and people and people told us staff were kind and caring.

People enjoyed living at Craven Vale and felt safe. Medicines were managed safely by suitably trained staff. There were effective systems in place to protect people from harm and staff understood their responsibilities to report any concerns. There were sufficient staff to respond promptly to people’s requests for support. Recruitment processes enabled the provider to make safe recruitment decisions.

Staff felt supported and received training to ensure they had the skills and knowledge to meet people’s needs. People enjoyed the food and their dietary needs were met. People were supported to access health and social care professionals if required to support reablement.

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.

There were a range of activities available to people. Care plans contained information that enabled staff to meet people’s needs and value people as individuals. People were confident to raise concerns. All complaints were dealt with in line with the provider’s policy.

The management team and provider promoted an open culture that valued everyone. Staff felt valued and were positive about the improvements that had been made at the service. There were effective systems in place to monitor and improve the service.

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 Good (published 21 April 2017).

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.

Craven Vale Resource Centre provides personal care and support for up to 31 people. Care and support is provided to adults, but predominantly to older people. It provides people with a short-term period of rehabilitation. People are supported following discharge from hospital, or to prevent admission to hospital to regain their independence and ability to return home. Short-term rehabilitation is a joint partnership between Brighton and Hove City Council and the Sussex Community NHS Trust to provide co-ordinated care. People receive care and support from social workers, social care staff, medical and nursing staff, physiotherapy and occupational therapy staff. People can also be provided with a period of respite care. The service has a high level of admissions and discharges due to the short-term nature of the service, and there are no long term placements. On the day of the inspection 28 people were resident in the service.

At the last inspection on 22 July 2014, the service was rated Good overall. At this inspection we found the service remained Good overall. Where the provision of social activities had been highlighted as an area in need of improvement this had been addressed. However, we did find an area of practice in need of improvement in relation to the recording of people’s fluid intake, which had not been consistently maintained.

People and their relatives told us they felt people were safe in the service. They knew who they could talk with if they had any concerns. They felt it was somewhere where they could raise concerns and they would be listened to. Systems in place to assess and manage risks had been maintained to provide safe and effective care. People were supported by staff who had been through robust recruitment procedures.

Sufficient numbers of suitable staff had been maintained to keep people safe and meet their care and support needs. Staff told us they received supervision, were supported to develop their skills and knowledge by receiving training which helped them to carry out their roles and responsibilities effectively. One member of staff told us, “Supervision is very supportive and we meet on a daily basis to discuss workload.” Training records were kept up-to-date, plans were in place to promote good practice and develop the knowledge and skills of staff.

People's individual care and support needs were assessed before they moved into the service. Care and support provided was personalised and based on the identified needs of each individual. People’s care and support plans and risk assessments had been maintained and reviewed regularly. One member of staff told us, “I really love it here we work with the therapists and doctors and really communicate with people. It can make a difference and build confidence. It’s a good staff team and everyone is approachable.” People told us they had felt involved and listened to. Where people were unable to make decisions for themselves this had been considered under the Mental Capacity Act 2005, and appropriate actions continued to be followed to arrange meetings to make a decision within their best interests.

The service continued to have a relaxed and homely feel. A relative told us, “I’m very used to the place and everyone is like friends. It’s very relaxed and everyone is happy and jolly.” People were supported by kind and caring staff who treated them with respect and dignity. They were spoken with and supported in a sensitive, respectful and professional manner.

People told us the food was good and plentiful. Staff told us that an individual’s dietary requirements formed part of their pre-admission assessment and people were regularly consulted about their food preferences. Healthcare professionals, including speech and language therapists and dieticians, had been consulted with as required.

Staff told us that communication throughout the service continued to be good and included comprehensive handovers at the beginning of each shift and staff meetings. They confirmed that they felt valued and supported by the managers, who they described as very approachable. The registered manager told us that senior staff had maintained a range of internal audits, and records confirmed this. They operated an 'open door policy' so people living in the service, staff and visitors could discuss any issues they may have. One member of staff told us, “There is an open door policy and a really good team and you can ask anyone for anything.” People were asked to complete a satisfaction questionnaire at the end of their stay.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

We spoke with six members of staff; these were the registered manager, two senior care workers, a care worker and two registered nurses. We looked at a sample of people's care and support plans,records of the checks of the pressure relieving mattresses and of the emergency equipment.

We found that new care planning documentation had been implemented in the service, which was now being completed. Staff told us of systems in place to check the information and quality of the care and support documentation in place. There was a record of the checks made on the equipment.

21 people were resident in the service at the time of our visit. We observed the care provided, looked at supporting care documentation, food records, staff records and records relating to the management of the service. We spoke individually with the deputy manager, a registered nurse, a physiotherapist, two senior care workers, three care workers one of whom was one of the organisation's bank staff, a cook, a domestic, eight people who used the service and a relative.

This told us that people were able to express their views and were involved in making decisions about their care and treatment. People told us they felt they were well cared for by staff who understood their care needs. They said staff were very caring and responsive to their care needs. Comments received included "I can't fault it,' and 'I have been very happy here. I have loved it,' 'It's been brilliant and I have loved it. '

People were provided with a choice of suitable and nutritious food and drink.

Infection control policies and procedures were in place to protect people.

There were sufficient numbers of staff with the right skills and qualifications to meet the needs of the people who used the service.

The records for the management of the home were in place and kept securely and kept securely. However, the care documentation in place did not fully detail all the care to be provided.

This told us people or their representatives had been able to express their views about the care provided, and where possible people who used the service had been involved in making decisions about their care and treatment.

People's care needs had been assessed and care and treatment had been planned and delivered in line with their individual care plan.

People's care had been provided by care workers who understood their care needs and who had been provided with training and support. Comments received included, 'I like it here, such nice people. I always get better here,' 'It's a miracle what they have done, she has physio regularly or the nurse or the staff take her for a little walk,' 'The staff are wonderful,' 'They are wonderful, I cant speak highly enough', and 'Mum's care has been fantastic here and would thoroughly recommend it.'

People knew who to talk with if they had any concerns about their care.

The provider had quality monitoring systems in place to regularly review the care provided.