20 October 2015
During a routine inspection
This inspection took place on 20 October 2015 and was unannounced.
This home provides accommodation and care for up to five people with learning disabilities and /or autistic spectrum disorder. At the time of the inspection there were five people living in the home, the majority of whom had lived there for over 20 years.
There is a registered manager at this home. 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.
We found that this home had a lively atmosphere. The people who lived there moved around freely and chose how they wanted to spend their time. Most of the people had been living together in this home for many years.
People indicated by gestures and body language that they felt safe in this home. Staff demonstrated that they knew how to keep people safe and they knew how to report allegations or suspicions of poor practice.
People were protected from possible errors in relation to their medication because the arrangements for the storage, administration and recording of medication were satisfactory and there were good systems for checking that medication had been administered in the correct way.
People who lived in this home told us, or indicated by gestures that they were happy. People’s relatives told us that they were pleased with the care provided.
People had opportunities to participate in a range of activities inside the home and in the community and were encouraged to have new experiences. People were helped to maintain contact with relatives and friends and there were regular social events.
Throughout our inspection we saw examples of and heard about good care that met people’s needs. People and, where appropriate, their relatives, were consulted about their preferences and people were treated with dignity and respect.
Staff working in this home showed that they had a good understanding of the needs of the people who lived there. We saw that staff communicated well with people living in the home and each other and people were enabled to make choices about how they lived their lives.
Staff were appropriately trained, skilled and supervised and they received opportunities to further develop their skills. The registered manager and staff we spoke with demonstrated that they understood the principles of protecting the legal and civil rights of people using the service.
People were supported to have their mental and physical healthcare needs met. Staff made appropriate use of a range of health professionals and encouraged people to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
People were provided with food which they enjoyed and which met their nutritional needs and suited their preferences.
There was effective leadership from the registered manager to ensure that all members of the staff team were well motivated and enthusiastic. The registered manager played an active part in the home and operated an open culture, where staff and people in the home felt valued and included.
The registered manager and director assessed and monitored the quality of care through observation and regular audits of events and practice. The registered manager consulted people in the home, their relatives and professional visitors to find out their views on the care provided and used this information to make improvements, where possible.
The registered manager checked to see if there had been changes to legislation or best practice guidance to make sure that the home continued to comply with the relevant legislation.