Archived: Serenity - Birmingham

At our last inspection in May 2016 we found that the service was not meeting all of the regulations. At this inspection we found that issues had been addressed and the regulations were met.

People were protected from the risk of potential abuse and told us they felt safe when the staff visited. Staff had a clear understanding of the procedures in place to safeguard people from abuse.

We found the service employed enough staff to meet the needs of the people being supported. The support provided was usually from a consistent group of staff who had been safely recruited. People who used the service told us they had not experienced any missed calls and that calls were usually on time.

People who needed support with their medicines were supported appropriately. Staff knew how to dispense medicines safely and there were regular checks to make sure this was done properly.

Staff received regular training and were knowledgeable about their roles and responsibilities. They had the skills, knowledge and experience required to support people with their care and support needs. Staff were well supported and received regular supervision.

People were involved in deciding how they wanted their care to be delivered and were supported in line with the Mental Capacity Act 2005.

People said staff were caring and treated them with dignity and respect. People felt the care they had received met their needs. We found the information contained in the care records was individualised and clearly identified people's needs and preferences.

Staff had been encouraged to support people to make choices. People were supported when required by staff to prepare their meals and to eat and drink enough to maintain good health. People were supported to access healthcare support when necessary.

The registered provider sought feedback from people using the service and their relatives in respect of the quality of care provided and had arrangements in place to deal with any concerns or complaints. The registered provider had developed a complaints procedure. People said they felt confident to raise complaints and knew who to contact if they had any concerns.

People and relatives were encouraged to share their views and feedback on the service through regular care plan reviews, questionnaires and the complaints and compliments process.

There was effective leadership from the registered provider, registered manager and senior members of staff and processes were in place to monitor the quality of the service provided.

People and their relatives told us that the service provided to them was safe. Staff we spoke with were aware of how to raise concerns to protect people from harm.

There were processes in place to assist staff with helping to manage people’s risks in relation to people’s home environments and use of mobility aids, however relevant guidance about people’s healthcare conditions and their associated risks and needs was not routinely available.

We identified some staff timekeeping issues that were being addressed however most people were satisfied with their call times. Records showed that people had not always been protected by suitable pre-employment processes. The management of medicines was not always safe and audits had not identified this.

People told us that staff met their needs. Although staff had access to support in their roles and new staff completed a thorough induction process, not all staff had received basic and up-to-date training for their roles, including training in relation to the Mental Capacity Act and not all staff training had been refreshed.

Staff had been encouraged to support people to make choices. People were supported when required by staff to prepare their meals and to eat and drink enough to maintain good health. People were supported to access healthcare support when necessary.

People were often supported by consistent staff and told us that staff were kind and that they were happy with their care and support. Staff provided examples of how they maintained people’s dignity and respected their privacy. People knew how to complain and were regularly asked for their views and feedback about their care.

People, and their relatives as appropriate, were involved in care reviews. People and relatives were encouraged to share their views and feedback on the service through regular care plan reviews, questionnaires and the complaints and compliments process.

People told us that they were happy with their care and staff told us they found the registered manager approachable.

Systems were not always effective or processes followed to keep people safe. The registered provider and manager had failed to respond proactively or fulfil their requirements in relation to safeguarding concerns.

You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of the report.