The inspection took place on 27 July 2017 and was announced. The provider was given 48 hours’ notice as the home is a small home for adults who are often out during the day. We needed to be sure someone would be in.MIG House Residential Care Homes is a care home for four adults with learning disabilities. At the time of our inspection four people were living in the home.
The home had a registered manager. 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.
The service was last inspected in July 2015 when it was rated ‘good’. The service remained overall ‘good’ at this inspection.
People and relatives told us they felt safe at the home. Staff were knowledgeable about safeguarding adults from avoidable harm and abuse. The home responded to incidents in an appropriate way, ensuring lessons were learnt and appropriate referrals were made if required.
The service identified and mitigated risks faced by people in their daily lives. Measures in place to mitigate risk were clear for staff to follow and people were involved in processes designed to reduce the risk of harm.
There were enough staff on duty in the home. Staff were recruited in a way that ensured they were suitable to work in the home.
People were supported to take medicines by staff. There was clear information on people’s medicines, and people were as involved in the process as they were able to be. Staff carried out daily counts of medicines stocks and the registered manager completed monthly audits. This ensured medicines were managed in a safe way.
When new staff joined the service they completed a comprehensive induction. Staff received training to ensure they had the knowledge and skills required to meet people’s needs. The registered manager completed monthly supervision with staff and each staff member had a development plan in place. Staff were supported in their roles.
People were supported to make as many decisions as they were able. Where people made decisions that were unusual for them, this was recorded in a special book to keep track of people’s different choices. Where people lacked capacity to make specific decisions the service worked within the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005.
Staff were knowledgeable about people’s dietary needs and preferences. People were involved in choosing the menu options and records showed people were supported with a varied diet. People were supported to be involved in meal preparation.
People living in the home had a range of long term health conditions. Staff supported people to attend appointments with healthcare professionals and there were clear records of advice from healthcare professionals.
People and staff had developed strong, positive relationships with each other. There was a positive, friendly atmosphere in the home. Throughout the inspection people teased staff in a friendly manner. Staff interacted with people in a positive way that recognised and valued them as individuals.
Staff worked to promote people’s independence and respected their privacy. People told us staff respected their privacy and treated them with dignity and respect.
Care plans were highly personalised and goal focussed. People’s independence was promoted and they were supported to achieve specific goals and rewarded for achieving them. People, relatives and external professionals told us people had made excellent progress and developed their skills and abilities while living in the home.
Information about complaints, and house meetings were available in a format that was accessible to people living in the home. People were able to provide feedback about their experiences and the home acted on this feedback and made changes as a result.
The registered manager and provider completed a range of checks and audits to monitor and improve the quality of the service. The registered manager was committed to improving the quality of care. The home had a clear set of values that focussed on person centred care and developing people’s skills.