9 February 2016
During a routine inspection
The service 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.
People were protected from the risk of abuse because staff understood their responsibilities to keep people safe. Action was taken following any incidents to try and reduce the risks of incidents happening again. Any risks to people’s health and safety were assessed and well managed, without restricting people’s freedom.
People were supported by a sufficient number of staff and staffing levels were flexible to meet people’s needs. Effective recruitment procedures were operated to ensure staff were safe to work with vulnerable adults. People received their medicines as prescribed and they were safely stored.
Staff were provided with a comprehensive range of training courses and received regular supervision. Sufficient quantities of food and drink were available and people chose what they wanted to eat and when. People received support from health care professionals when needed.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) monitors the use of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). We found this legislation was being used correctly to protect people who were not able to make their own decisions about the care they received. We also found staff were aware of the principles within the MCA and how this might affect the care they provided to people.
There were positive relationships between staff and people. People were supported to make decisions about the care and support they needed. Staff treated people with dignity and respect, ensuring that privacy was maintained and encouraging their independence.
People were provided with responsive care and staff encouraged people to be as independent as possible. There was a comprehensive and individually tailored programme of activities available which enabled people develop important life skills with the support of staff. There was a clear complaints procedure in place and people felt comfortable speaking with the registered manager.
There was an open, relaxed and transparent culture in the home and good community links. The registered manager led by example and staff felt able to speak with them about any concerns.
There were systems in place to monitor the quality of the service and these were well utilised and resulted in improvements being made. People’s views about the quality of the service they received were respected and changes made in response to feedback.