Southdown Housing Association - 28 Southdown Road

Southdown Housing Association – 28 Southdown Road is a residential care home that provides personal care for up to seven adults with complex support needs. There were seven people living in the home at the time of the inspection.

The accommodation was in a large, purpose-built house with communal areas and an accessible garden. The care service has been developed and designed in line with the values that underpin the Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These values include choice, promotion of independence and inclusion. People with learning disabilities and autism using the service can live as ordinary a life as any citizen.

Peoples experience of the service:

There was a warm friendly atmosphere. The registered manager and staff team were person-centred in their approach and had an exceptional understanding of people’s individual needs. People’s relatives and health professionals described how staff had gone above and beyond what was expected to care for people.

People's healthcare needs were monitored to ensure their day to day requirements were met. Staff were exceptionally responsive to changes in their well-being and worked with medical professionals to ensure outcomes in people’s best interests.

Staff knew people really well as individuals. People were supported to achieve individual goals and lived their lives engaged in activities that were meaningful to them and that they enjoyed both within their home and the local community. People were supported to maintain important social and family relationships.

People received safe care. Staff were aware of their responsibility to keep people safe. Risks were assessed and managed to reflect people's current needs. Staff received appropriate training and there were enough staff to meet people’s needs. People and their relatives were positive about the staff and management team. Staff were proud to work at the service.

People received care that was effective for their needs. People were supported to eat and drink, by staff who were knowledgeable and suitably trained. People were supported to eat and drink safely.

The environment was clean and well maintained and was adapted to meet people’s physical and social needs.

There was a strong person-centred culture throughout the service and staff provided caring and compassionate support. Relatives and healthcare professionals were extremely positive about the caring and responsive nature of staff.

People were treated with dignity and respect and their choices and preferences were respected. Care was tailored to meet individual needs. All the people living in the home were supported to lead meaningful lives.

The service was well led, with a clear focus on person centred care, which empowered people and their relatives to make decisions about their care. The quality assurance systems in place effectively monitored the service. The registered manager responded positively to change and was proactive in improving the service. Staff told us they were well supported.

Safe recruitment was followed to ensure the staff employed were suitable to care for people and shared the culture of the service. People received their medicines as prescribed and this was administered by staff who were competent. The provider was following relevant guidance for infection control.

Systems were in place to monitor accidents and incidents to identify any lessons learned and make improvements where required.

The service was working within the principles of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA). People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible. Policies and systems were in place to support this practice.

There was a registered manager in post who was available throughout the inspection. 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.

Rating at last inspection:

The service was last inspected on 11 October 2016 and was rated Good.

Why we inspected:

This was a planned inspection based on the rating from the last inspection. The service remained rated Good overall.

Follow up:

We will monitor information received about the service and schedule the next inspection accordingly.

Southdown Housing Association - 28 Southdown Road specialises in providing care and support to adults who have a learning disability, autism and/or a physical disability. Accommodation is arranged at ground floor level and the home can accommodate up to seven people. All bedrooms are for single occupancy and the home is staffed 24 hours a day.

The people we met with had very complex physical and learning disabilities and were unable to tell us about their experiences of life at the home. We therefore used our observations of care and our discussions with staff to help form our judgements.

There was a registered manager in post. 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.

Staff morale was good and people were comfortable with the staff who supported them. The atmosphere in the home was very relaxed. It was evident that staff knew people very well and were committed to ensuring people received the care and support they needed as well as a fulfilling life.

Staffing levels were good and people also received good support from health and social care professionals. Staff were confident and competent when assisting and interacting with people.

There were effective policies and procedures in place to reduce the risk of harm or abuse to the people who lived at the home and these were understood and followed by staff.

People contributed to the assessment and planning of their care as far as they were able. Care plans showed that people and their relatives attended person centred reviews where they could discuss the care and support their relative received.

People were always asked for their consent before staff assisted them with any tasks and staff knew the procedures to follow to make sure peoples legal and human rights were protected.

People were unable to look after their own medicines. Staff made sure medicines were stored securely and there were sufficient supplies of medicines. People received their medicines when they needed them.

Routines in the home were flexible and were based around the needs and preferences of the people who lived there. People were able to plan their day with staff and they were supported to access a range of social and leisure activities in the home and local community.

The service made sure staff completed appropriate training so they could meet the needs of the people they supported. The knowledge, skills and competency of staff were regularly monitored through supervisions and observation of their practice. Staff told us they felt well supported and received the training they needed.

There were systems in place to monitor health and safety and the quality of the service provided to people. Results of a recent satisfaction survey had been very positive. One comment included “The staff are extremely caring. We could not have wished for a more suitable place for [name of person] to live. I cannot thank the staff enough.” Another relative commented “A big thank you to all the staff for the care they gave [person’s name] during a recent illness.”

During our inspection we observed staff working with people who use the service and spoke with four members of staff. They were the senior support worker and three support workers. We also looked at review records and meeting records to help us understand the views of the people who use the service.

Staff we spoke with felt they worked well together as a team. One person told us 'we work extremely well as a team and support each other'. Another person told us 'we genuinely care for the people who live here and we are a happy home'.

We looked at care plans and staff records and observed levels of staff. We saw the service had enough experienced and skilled staff to meet the people's needs.

We observed staff interacting positively with people. Where appropriate, specialist advice and support was obtained to meet people's needs. People were protected against the risks associated with medicines because the provider had appropriate arrangements in place to manage medicines. There were sufficient numbers of staff on duty and staff told us they felt well supported. Staff were clear about what they should do if they suspected abuse or any concerns.