Archived: CareTech Community Services Limited - 228 Kingsbury Road

228 Kingsbury Road offers long term residential care for up to three people with a learning disability and mental health disorders. At the time of our inspection there were two people living at the home.

There was a registered manager in post who provided support and leadership to the staff employed to care for people in a way that met people’s needs in a personalised way. 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.

People living in the home were happy with the service provided and were kept safe from abuse and harm because staff were able to identify the signs that would indicate if a person was unhappy and aware of the actions to take if they had any concerns.

People were supported to receive safe care by sufficient numbers of suitably trained and recruited staff.

People were supported to make day to day decisions about their care where possible and safeguards were in place that ensured that decisions make on their behalf were made in their best interests.

People received personalised care because staff knew them well and had the information they needed to ensure their privacy and dignity. People were treated as individuals and special days celebrated in the way they wanted.

People received meals that met their nutritional needs and were supported to receive medical attention when needed. People’s health care needs were monitored and other healthcare professionals were involved when needed.

People were supported to maintain links with their friends and families, go on holiday and undertake activities that they enjoyed doing.

Systems were in place to monitor the quality of the service and people were support to have their voice heard on how the service was developed.

We considered our inspection findings to answer questions we always ask:-

' Is the service safe?

' Is the service effective?

' Is the service caring?

' Is the service responsive?

' Is the service well-led?

Below is a summary of what we found.

Is the service safe?

People were cared for in an environment that was clean and hygienic and met their needs. Both of the relatives that we spoke to confirmed this and thought that the environment was suitable for their relative. One relative said, 'I have called in unannounced and found the place clean and comfortable.'

At the time of the inspection, there were no Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards procedure in place. Staff had received training, so they knew how to safeguard people at risk of abuse and we saw best interest decisions had been made to protect people from harm. Both relatives thought that people living at the home were safe.

The provider had procedures and information in place to keep people safe from harm, these included emergency contacts and adequate fire evacuation procedures. We asked one member of staff if they could explain what happened in the event of a fire and they were able to appropriately confirm procedures.

There was also quality assurance audits completed to make sure that the building was in good order and safe for people to live in.

Is the service effective?

All people who were able and both of their relatives, told us that they were happy with the care that was delivered and their needs were met.

During observations and from speaking with staff, it was clear that staff had a good understanding of both people's care and support needs and that they knew them well; which meant that people received an effective service. Staff had received adequate training to meet the needs of the people living at the home.

Both relatives that we spoke with were complimentary about the service but one of them told us that they had just taken over the care of their relative and would like to be more involved with meetings and reviews.

Is the service caring?

Our observations showed that staff were understanding and gave reassurance to people who lived in the home. We heard many relaxed conversations between staff and the people who lived at the home during our visit and we also saw staff calmed one person down when they were agitated.

We asked both relatives if they had any concerns about the care provided and they told us they were happy with the care provided at this current time.

Is the service responsive?

We could see from care records, that when a person's needs changed appropriate actions were taken to ensure that needs were met, including for example; attending a hospital appointment, where additional staff were organised to support the person.

We could see that activities were planned around what people wanted to do, for example; going for a walk, shopping or visiting relatives. This meant that the provider responded by organising staff to accompany people on their activity and also providing suitable transport to achieve this.

Is the service well-led?

There was a registered manager at the service and we found a good management team in place, and all staff had a very good understanding of the people living at the home and the service they provided.

A quality assurance processes was in place to ensure that the quality of the service was maintained and further improved.

We saw that staff were gentle and spoke kindly to people. We saw that staff had a kind and caring approach towards people they supported. We saw that people responded positively to the interactions from staff.

We spoke with two relatives who said, 'X (person's name) is well looked after, X is always well dressed and has their hair done nicely'. Another relative said: 'It's fine, I am able to have a lot of input, it's very good'.

We looked at people's nutrition. We saw that people were offered choices of healthy nutritious meals that they enjoyed.

We looked at complaints and found that the service had not received any complaints, but had procedures in place to deal with these appropriately.

On the day of our inspection three people were living at the home. People had various levels of verbal communication skills due to their learning disability. We observed their experiences to support our inspection.

We spoke with two members of staff and the manager about the service provided. We looked at the care records for all of the people who live here.

People were involved in decisions about their care and how the home was run.We saw that staff knocked on doors to respect people's privacy and spoke to people in a respectful manner.

Records were person centred. Staff had information to support people with their needs in the way they prefer.

People were involved in a variety of activities of their choice so that they had interesting lives. One person told us, 'I go to the centre. I make cakes and cook. I like it here'. Another person told us, 'I go swimming. I like it'.

The furnishings and decor of the home had been updated to provide a homely environment. The garden was well maintained, pleasant and safe.

Systems were in place to ensure that people were safeguarded from harm. Staff had received training and support to be able to safely care for people in the way that they chose.

Systems were in place to assess and monitor the quality of the service provided.