Archived: Making Space - St. Helens Also known as Yorkshire Gardens - St Helens

Making Space – St. Helens is also known as Yorkshire Gardens and will be referred to as Yorkshire Gardens throughout the report.

There are seven self-contained apartments within the project where people live as tenants. At the time of our inspection there were seven people who used the service. Care and support is provided twenty four hours a day by staff that work onsite from an apartment which has been converted into a staff office and sleep in accommodation. Yorkshire Gardens provides support to people with learning disabilities or mental health needs. People who use the service stay for a period of between six months to two years.  

The manager at Yorkshire Gardens had been in post since January 2014. They had submitted an application to register with the Care Quality Commission. 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.  At the time of our inspection, the application was still in process.

During our visit we saw that staff had developed a good relationship with the people they supported. People spoke very positively about the service and told us they felt safe and well cared for. One person told us, “The care has been amazing. Staff have gone well above what you would expect.”

Suitable arrangements were in place to protect people from the risk of abuse. People told us they felt safe and secure. Safeguards were in place for people who may have been unable to make decisions about their care and support.

We found people were involved in decisions about their care and were supported to make choices as part of their daily life. All people had a detailed care plan which covered their support needs and personal wishes. We saw plans had been reviewed and updated at regular intervals. This meant staff had up to date information about people’s needs and wishes. Records showed there was a personal approach to people’s care and they were treated as individuals.

Staff spoken with were positive about their work and confirmed they were supported by the manager. Staff received regular training to make sure they had the skills and knowledge to meet people’s needs. They were also given regular supervision and an appraisal of their work performance. This meant they were given opportunities to discuss their role and identify any future training needs.

We found there were good systems and processes in place to monitor the quality of the service provided. Staff told us they felt this was underpinned by an open reporting culture and strong leadership.