Harrow Council - 14-15 Kenton Road

Updated 22 August 2018

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This unannounced inspection took place on 26 February 2018. The inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Prior to the inspection we looked at information about the service including notifications and any other information received from other agencies. Notifications are information about specific important events the service is legally required to report to us. We reviewed the Provider Information Record (PIR). The PIR was information given to us by the provider. This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, tells us what the service does well and the improvements they plan to make.

During the inspection we spoke with four people using the service to obtain feedback about their experiences of the service. We spoke with the registered manager, and five care workers. We examined four people's care records. We also looked at personnel records of seven care workers, including details of their recruitment, training and supervision. We reviewed further records relating to the management of the service, including quality assurance processes, to see how the home was run.

Updated 22 August 2018

Harrow Council - 14/15 Kenton Road is a care home providing personal care and accommodation for people with mental health needs. It is a service run by Harrow Council, located in Harrow on the Hill and accommodates up to 14 people.

At the last inspection, in December 2015 the service was rated Good.

At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

A registered manager was employed at the service and had been in the role since 2015. 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.

There was a system to ensure that people were safe and protected from abuse. Staff were able to describe to us the different ways that people might experience abuse and the correct steps to take if they were concerned that abuse had taken place. Recruitment records showed that relevant checks had been completed. References had been obtained from previous employers as part of the process to help ensure staff were suitable and of good character. There were sufficient numbers of staff deployed to support people to stay safe and to meet their needs. Risks to people’s safety and welfare had been assessed and measures put in place to mitigate these risks. People's medicines were safely managed. There were clear policies and procedures in the safe handling and administration of medicines.

People’s health needs were met. They had their needs assessed across a wide range of areas, including their medical and mental health needs. Individual plans were in place for these areas and specialist input from other professionals had been obtained. The home was working in accordance with the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). People’s capacity to make specific decisions had been assessed. They were offered external support from agencies such as independent mental capacity advocates (IMCA) to support them if required. Staff had completed essential training. Where people had specific diagnosis, additional training was provided.

People told us staff were caring in their approach. We observed staff spoke with people in an appropriate way throughout the inspection. The home had a policy on ensuring equality and valuing diversity. This reminded staff to respect people’s preferences regardless of their background. People were supported to be as independent as possible, and where possible, staff assisted people to increase their independence skills. Individual communication needs were assessed. However, the registered manager acknowledged improvements were required in relation to Accessible Information Standard.

People told us they received personalised care. People at the home were on Care Programme Approach (CPA). CPA is a package of care for people with mental health problems. Each person at the home had a care coordinator, who ensured people received care that met their needs. Care plans were regularly reviewed. This helped to monitor whether they were up to date and reflected people's current needs.

People felt the service was well run. Equally, staff were satisfied with the leadership of the home. There were effective systems to assess, monitor and improve the quality of the service provided. A range of quality assurance processes, including staff meetings, surveys, audits, management of accidents and incidents, management of complaints had been used continuously to drive improvements.