Archived: Church View

Church View is a residential care home registered to provide care and accommodation for up to five people with a learning disability, or who are on the autistic spectrum. At the time of this inspection there were five people living at the home. The building is a period building and has two floors. On the first floor people had their own bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms, and there was a staff sleep in room. On the ground floor there were communal spaces that included a lounge, kitchen and a dining room.

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

People were safe living at Church View. Staff understood how to protect people from abuse and were confident managers would respond if they raised any concerns. There were enough well trained staff who knew how to support people living with complex needs. We observed people’s requests for support being responded to promptly.

People received their medicines safely and were encouraged to self-administer if it was assessed as safe. Communication between staff and people was excellent, people were supported well and given time to express their needs. The environment was comfortable, well decorated and homely.

People were active and took part in their individual hobbies and interests as well as communal activities. There were events each day and one to one support for people if they needed it. People planned their own meals and staff supported people to shop for the ingredients. People enjoyed home cooked food.

Care plans were person centred and offered good guidance for staff. People and their families were consulted and involved with every aspect of their lives. A relative told us, “Staff keep me well informed.” People had good access to healthcare and other health professionals. People knew how to complain. Incidents and accidents were minimal and if they occurred staff took appropriate actions.

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.

The service applied the principles and values of Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These ensure that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes that include control, choice and independence. The outcomes for people using the service reflected the principles and values of Registering the Right Support by promoting choice and control, independence and inclusion. People's support focused on having as many opportunities as possible to gain new skills and become more independent.

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 (published 26 June 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up

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

The building is a period building and has two floors. On the ground floor there are communal spaces such as lounges, a kitchen and a dining room. At this inspection everyone had their own individual bedroom. There was a staff sleep in room on the first floor.

At the last inspection, the service was rated Good. At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

Why the service is rated Good

People remained safe at the home. There were adequate numbers of suitable staff to meet people’s needs including spending time socialising with them. Risk assessments were carried out to enable people to retain their independence and receive care with minimum risk to themselves or others. People were encouraged to work towards independence whilst there was understanding about their vulnerability. People received their medicines safely and were encouraged to self-administer if it was considered safe. People were protected from abuse because staff understood how to keep them safe and were confident any concerns raised would be responded to.

The home continued to ensure people received effective care. People had choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible. Healthy eating was promoted and meal times were treated as a social opportunity. Staff had the skills and knowledge required to effectively support people. People and their relatives told us their healthcare needs were met and we saw a range of healthcare professionals were involved.

The home continued to provide a caring service to people. People and relatives told us, and we observed that staff were kind and patient. People’s privacy and dignity was respected by staff and their religious needs were valued. People and their relatives were involved in decisions about the care and support they received. Staff found ways to ensure people were making informed choices at their level of understanding.

The service remained responsive to people’s individual needs. Care and support was personalised to each person which ensured they were able to make choices about their day to day lives. Each person had a visual timetable providing a range of opportunities for them. This considered people’s hobbies, needs and interests. There had been no complaints since the last inspection. People and relatives knew how to complain and told us there would be a positive response if they did.

The service continued to be well led. People showed us, and relatives told us, the registered manager, who was the provider, was good and had a hands on approach to running the service. The registered manager continually monitored the quality of the service and made improvements in accordance with people’s changing needs. There were strong links with the local community to provide wider opportunities for people.

Further information is in the detailed findings below

We spoke with four people who were living in the home, about their experiences of care in Church View. One person told us, 'The staff here are nice.' We spoke with two relatives of people who lived in the home. A relative told us, 'The care has been excellent, they have been looked after really well.'

We saw that people were involved in a number of activities throughout the week, these included work placements and college attendance. We found that people were involved in developing their own care plans, and were encouraged to develop independent living skills. A person told us, 'I do my own washing but have help with my ironing.'

We found that people had access to a wide and varied range of activities. These included work placements and college attendance. People also had access to a variety of social opportunities.

We found that people had access to other health and care professionals when required. We also found that people were protected from harm as the home had appropriate safeguarding procedures in place. A person told us, 'I feel safe here.'

We saw that people were cared for, or supported by, suitably qualified, skilled and experienced staff.

People that lived in the home had varied communication abilities. Two people who were able to communicate verbally told us of their experiences and the care they received. We also spoke with two people's relatives.

We observed the care that people received and their interactions with staff. On the day of inspection, five people were accommodated at the home.

People had access to a range of activities both within the home and externally, which included studying at college and work placements. These activities were arranged between the staff and people who lived at the home. People were supported to develop independent living skills and personal care plans were individually tailored to meet their needs. Other health care professionals were involved in meeting people's care needs when required.

People were protected from harm as there were appropriate safeguarding procedures. We saw that staff were supported by the provider through training and that staff were encouraged in their professional development.

The service had effective systems to monitor the quality of service provided.