Archived: Morton Gardens DCA

Morton Gardens DCA is a supported living service which provides personal care for people who have a learning disability living in shared accommodation. At the time of this inspection the service was providing personal care to three people with learning disabilities and other complex needs.

The service has been developed and designed in line with the principles and values that underpin Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. This ensures that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes. The principles reflect the need for people with learning disabilities and/or autism to live meaningful lives that include control, choice, and independence. People using the service receive planned and co-ordinated person-centred support that is appropriate and inclusive for them.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

The provider assessed risks to people and ensured risks were managed well. People received their medicines safely. Staff followed suitable infection control practices and received training to understand their responsibilities. There were enough staff to support people safely and people received individual, personalised care.

Staff received the necessary training and support to care for people with learning disabilities and a range of other needs. People received the support they needed to maintain their day to day health and in relation to eating and drinking. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People were cared for by staff who were kind and treated them with dignity and respect. Staff involved people in their care. People received care from staff who knew them well and their care was personalised to meet their needs and preferences. Staff supported people to access a wide range of activities they were interested in, as well as annual holidays. Staff understood people’s communication needs well. The provider had a suitable process in place to respond to any concerns or complaints.

An experienced registered manager was in post who was also a director of the company. Relatives and staff told us the service was well-led and the provider engaged well with them. The provider had sufficient oversight of the service, working alongside staff every day to check high standards were maintained.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was good (report published March 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the rating at the last inspection.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received, we may inspect sooner.

Morton Gardens DCA is a supported living service for three people with learning disabilities and some physical needs. A supported living service is one where personal care is provided as a separate package of care which is not linked to the accommodation. There were three people living in the service at the time of our visit. Some people had limited verbal communication.

The service has a registered manager in place. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service and shares the legal responsibility for meeting the requirements of the law with the provider.

The provider had not ensured a hoist used for supporting a person to transfer had been fully tested and was safe to use. While the registered manager understood the majority of their role and responsibilities well they were not aware of regulations which required them to ensure the hoist was fully tested and safe to use. This meant the person was not protected against risks associated with this piece of equipment. However, the registered manager agreed to put a schedule of appropriate checks in place to meet the relevant regulation concerning lifting equipment.

Staff received training in how to protect people from abuse and how to respond if they suspected people were being abused to keep them safe. Medicines were managed safely, although the registered manager told us they would put in place more detailed guidance for staff to follow relating to ‘as required’ medicines and homely remedies. Homely remedies are medicines which can be purchased over the counter, without prescription. The registered manager managed risks to people well, ensuring risks to individual were assessed with risk management plans in place for staff to follow in mitigating risks. Staffing numbers were sufficient to meet people’s needs and staff were recruited through robust processes to check they were suitable to work with people.

People received choice in the food they ate and staff supported people to maintain healthy weights. Staff supported people to access the healthcare services they required and to monitor their health. Staff received the support and training they needed to give them the skills and knowledge to meet people’s needs. Staff understood how to support people in line with the Mental Capacity Act 2005, ensuring they gained people’s consent when people were able to give consent.

Staff were caring and communicated well with people, according to people’s individual communication preferences. Staff treated people with dignity and respect and supported people to keep in contact with their relatives and friends. People were involved in making decisions about their care.

Each person had an individualised activities programme in place tailored to their interests. People were engaged in activities most days of the week. These included hydrotherapy, dancing and cycling. The registered manager ensured people’s care plans were up to date so information was reliable for staff to follow in caring for people. People were encouraged to give feedback on the service and a complaints procedure was in place for the registered manager to follow in responding to any complaints.

Staff understood their roles and responsibilities well. A range of suitable audits were in place to assess and monitor the quality of service delivery. Resources and support were available to develop the team. People, relatives and staff were encouraged to communicate openly by the registered manager.

We were able to speak to the representative of one person using the service. They told us, "I am very happy with the care and support they provide. Staff are all very caring and I have never had any cause for concern or complaint ". People who use the service and their representatives understood the care and treatment choices available to them. People took part in an initial assessment meeting before joining the service, to discuss the services available and the best ways to support them. This information was documented in their plans of care.

There were comprehensive care planning arrangements in place in the service, which included up to date care plans and risk assessments, and the involvement of people and their representatives in their plans of care was evident. The provider had arrangements in place to protect people from abuse. Staff had up to date training in safeguarding people from abuse, and a safeguarding policy was in place.

During our inspection we spoke with two members of staff. Staff told us they were supported in their jobs and daily communication with senior members of staff and management was good and effective. Staff members informed us that the training programme available to them was good and during supervision sessions managers ensured that all training was up to date and was appropriate to the needs of people who use the service.

We looked at the plans in place to provide care and support to people using the service. We found there were instructions and guidance for staff about how to meet people's specific care and support needs. We also saw that risks to their health, safety and wellbeing had been identified with a plan in place for how any known risks were managed and mitigated by staff. However we found that the plans and risk assessments in place were not being updated as regularly as they should be to ensure these were up to date and accurate.

We looked at staffing levels and found there was enough staff at the time of our inspection, to meet the needs of people using the service. The registered manager told us they undertook regular monitoring checks to assess the quality of care provided by staff.