Archived: 1 Lawrence Road

People's health and personal care needs were assessed and there were detailed care plans in place for care staff to follow so as to ensure that people were supported safely and in accordance with people's individual preferences and wishes.

The provider was able to demonstrate that appropriate systems were now in place to ensure that where consent was not possible, decisions were made in the best interests of the people who used the service. We found that the staff team offered people choice as far as was possible given their complex communication needs. There was evidence that the provider and management team of the service worked in co-operation with others so as to ensure that people's health and social care needs were met. We found that improvements had now been made to ensure that staff had received appropriate training relating to some core areas and regular supervision.

The staff team have known both people for some considerable time and are familiar with individual's care and support needs. However we found that routines at the service were often task based and not person led. There was little evidence to show that the service enables and supports people to make choices and decisions. We found that the range of leisure activities provided for people had been in place for some considerable time and records suggested that people had become over compliant with the routine of the service. There was little evidence to show that people had been given opportunities to try new activities so as to provide a range of stimuli and new experiences. In addition we found that although staff understood people's communication difficulties, there were limited methods used to find appropriate ways to engage with each person in an effective and positive manner.

Improvements were required to ensure that staff received training in key areas so as to meet the needs of the people they support.