Archived: Suffolk House

Updated 2 March 2016

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

The inspection was carried out on 19 January 2016 and was unannounced. The inspection team comprised of an inspector, a specialist advisor in adult social care and an expert by experience. An expert by experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Before the inspection we reviewed relevant information that we had about the provider including any notifications of safeguarding or incidents affecting the safety and wellbeing of people. We also made contact with the local authority and the local mental health NHS trust for any information they had that was relevant to the inspection.

During the inspection we spoke with six people, one relative, two staff members, a bank staff, a visiting social professional and the registered manager. We observed interactions between people and staff members to ensure that the relationship between staff and people was positive and caring.

We spent some time looking at documents and records that related to people’s care and the management of the recovery house. We looked at ten people’s care plans, which included risk assessments.

We reviewed six staff files which included training and supervision records. We looked at other documents held at the recovery house such as medicine records, quality assurance audits and residents and staff meeting minutes.

Updated 2 March 2016

This inspection was carried out on 19 January 2016 and was unannounced.

During our inspection on 11 June 2013 we found that detailed assessments of people’s physical health needs were not always carried out. Records of people’s medicines were not always accurate and arrangements for the safe storage of medicines were insufficient. A follow up inspection on 31 December 2013 found the service compliant.

Suffolk House works in partnership with the local NHS mental health Crisis Resolution and Home Treatment Team (CRHTT) and all referrals to the service come through the CRHTT. The service provides accommodation and care for up to 12 people recovering from mental health problems. People usually stay at the service for up to two weeks and are assessed by CRHTT before being discharged to alternative accommodation.

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 legal requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and the associated regulations on how the service is run.

Staff were trained in safeguarding adults and had a good understanding in keeping people safe. They knew how to recognise abuse and who to report to and understood how to whistle blow. Whistleblowing is when someone who works for an employer raises a concern about harm, or a risk of harm, to people who use the service. There were policies and procedures in place for staff to follow.

There was enough staff to support people safely and to meet their individual needs.

Assessments were undertaken to assess any risks to people using the service and steps were taken to minimise potential risks and to safeguard people from harm.

Medicines were stored and recorded correctly.

Safe recruitment procedures were in place that ensured staff were suitable to work with people, as staff had undergone the required checks before starting to work at the service.

Care plans were personalised to the people using the service. People were involved in planning of care and the care plans were then signed by people to ensure they were happy with the care and support listed on the care plan.

People had access to healthcare services such as the GP and dentists.

Systems were in place to ensure staff received regular supervision and appraisal. Staff received induction training and also received regular training to ensure that people were safe and the care provided was effective.

Complaints were managed appropriately and people were aware on how to make complaints.

People participated in a number of activities such as going to football groups, playing games and attending community centres.

People's privacy and dignity was maintained. People were independent and we saw people moving freely around the house and were able to go to their rooms and outside without interruption.

Systems were in place for quality assurance. The manager conducted regular audits, which included welfare and health and safety checks. An unannounced audit was also carried out by the provider’s management team.

Questionnaires were completed by people about the service. However, we did not see systems were in place to analyse the findings of the survey.