Archived: Foresters

We undertook a focussed inspection to check they had followed their plan and to confirm they now met legal requirements. This report only covers our findings in relation to those requirements. You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the “all reports” link for Foresters on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

The inspection visit took place on 25 February 2017. Foresters is home to up to 15 people with learning disabilities in a residential area of Weymouth. At the time of our inspection there were 14 people living in the home.

The service had a registered manager at the time of our 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.

At this inspection we found that staff deployment had improved and cover was being sought with consideration of people’s needs. There were support hours that were not being covered at the time of our inspection and this remained an area for improvement.

Agency staff had been used to cover hours in the home. The registered manger had not ensured that checks had been made on their suitability. We spoke with a senior member of staff who addressed this immediately and ensured the appropriate information was made available by the agency and checked before these staff worked in the home.

People were protected from harm because staff understand the risks they faced and how to support them to reduce these risks.

People were at a reduced risk because staff knew how to identify and report potential abuse appropriately.

Foresters provides care and support for up to 15 people who have a learning disability. On the day of our inspection 15 people were using the service.

There was a registered manager in post at the time of this 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.

We spent time with people seeing how they spent their day and observing the care and support being provided. Some people were able to talk to us, but most people had limited verbal communication. We saw people were treated with care and respect by the staff team who they approached for support without hesitation. People told us; “I like living here” and, “It is nice here.” While people’s relatives said; “The staff are brilliant”, “[My relative] would tell me if he was unhappy. Staff are very nice and know him well” and, “I think it is brilliant.”

At the time of our inspection there were not enough staff available to meet people’s care and support needs in the early morning. The number of people living at Foresters had recently increased and the registered manager had recognised that additional support staff were required in the morning to meet people’s care needs. The service had attempted to recruit additional staff but this had been unsuccessful. Staff told us, “We are very busy” and, “I do not think there are enough staff on shift.” We saw that while staff were supporting people to get up there was a shortage of staff available to provide support in communal areas.

Current staffing levels also adversely impacted on people at the weekends. At weekends an additional staff member was rostered to provide five hours of support with activities each day. However, this support had regularly not been provided and staff told us, “There is five hours for activities at the weekends but we are struggling to cover the support worker shifts” and, “I think people should be able to get out more than they do.”

During the working week people were appropriately supported to engage with a variety of activities within the home and in the local community. Some people received support on a one to one basis to assess the local community while others attended day centres or voluntary work placements that they enjoyed.

Recruitment practices were robust and designed to ensure staff working in the service were fit and appropriate to work in the care sector. Staff received formal induction training and shadowed experienced staff until they felt sufficiently confident to provide care independently. Regular refresher training was provided to staff and staff told us they were well supported and received regular supervision. Staff told us, “There is lots of training here, I think they are very good with that” and “I am definitely well supported.” Staff understood their role in the safeguarding of vulnerable adults and felt confident the manager would act to address any concerns they reported.

People’s care plans were extensive, detailed and informative. They provided the staff with sufficient detailed information to enable them to provide appropriate care in accordance with the person’s preferences. People’s care plans had been regularly reviewed and accurately reflected their current care needs. Daily care records were accurate and information about any changes to people’s care needs was shared effectively between staff.

The service was well led by the registered manager who was supernumerary. The manager worked flexible hours within the home and staff told us, “The manager is very approachable, she is very good at her job” and, “The manager is brilliant she cares about all of us. She is the best manager I have ever seen.” People and relatives said the manager was, “Really good” and that any concerns they reported were resolved appropriately.

Regular audits and quality checks were carried out to monitor the standards of care provided. Feedback was regularly sought from people and their relatives on the service’s performance.

On the day of our inspection the home was short staffed due to sickness, we saw that staff used their knowledge of the people living in the home to ensure that this did not cause unnecessary difficulties.

People and their representatives were involved in care planning and this was demonstrated within care records. Where people lacked capacity to be involved in care planning this was evidenced and decisions made in their best interests were recorded.

People were supported in a way that promoted independence and was respectful. Care needs were assessed and care was delivered appropriately. People told us they were happy with the care they received. We saw that people were relaxed with their support staff.

We looked at the handling of medicines in the home. We found that there were processes in place to ensure people had the medication that was prescribed to them.

Records were accurate and contained information about people's needs. This ensured that people were protected people from the risk of inappropriate or unsafe care.

People's independence was encouraged. We saw that people were supported by staff to access the community, for example, on the morning of the inspection people were supported to go to the shops.

People's needs were assessed and support was planed and delivered to meet these needs. We looked at three people's support plans which contained assessments of people's needs and abilities and how staff should support them. We saw people being assisted to change position using a hoist. These changes in position were completed safely and staff reassured the person throughout the transfer.

Medication was administered as prescribed. We looked at Medication Administration Records (MAR) and saw that all medication had been signed as given for the morning of the inspection.

Staff received appropriate training. We looked at the providers training records and saw that the majority of staff had received training in relevant topics.

People's views of the service were sought. We saw that a satisfaction survey had been completed by people who used the service.