8 February 2018
During a routine inspection
At the last inspection in January 2017, this service was rated overall as requires improvement. At this inspection, we found that improvements had been made and the service was rated overall good.
A registered manager was in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) 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.
Systems and processes in place to monitor the quality and safety of the service required strengthening to ensure they were embedded and effective.
People told us they felt safe with the staff team who provided their care and support. Relatives we spoke with agreed that their relatives were safe with the staff team who supported them.
Training on the safeguarding of adults had been completed and the staff team were aware of their responsibilities for keeping people safe from avoidable harm. The registered manager and management team understood their responsibilities for keeping people safe and knew to refer any concerns on to the local authority and CQC.
People's support needs had been identified and risks associated with people's care had been assessed and monitored. There were arrangements in place to make sure action was taken and lessons learned when things went wrong, to improve safety across the service.
Staff recruitment procedures ensured that appropriate pre-employment checks were carried out to ensure only suitable staff worked at the service. Adequate staffing levels were in place.
Staff induction training and on-going training was provided to ensure that staff had the skills, knowledge and support they needed to perform their roles. Staff were well supported by the senior management team and had regular one to one supervisions.
People were protected by the prevention and control of infection. The staff team had received training in infection control and understood their responsibilities around this.
The staff team were trained in medicines and were able to administer medicines if prescribed. The service worked with other organisations to ensure that people received coordinated and person-centred care and support.
Staff demonstrated their understanding of the Mental Capacity Act, 2005 (MCA) and they gained people's consent before providing support.
People were involved in planning how their support would be provided and staff took time to understand people’s needs and preferences. Care documentation provided staff with appropriate guidance regarding the care and support people needed to maintain their independence. Staff treated people with kindness, dignity and respect and spent time getting to know them and their specific needs and wishes.
People, relatives and staff were encouraged to provide feedback about the service and it was used to drive continuous improvement. People knew what to do if they had a concern, complaints were investigated, and lessons learnt to reduce future concerns.
The service notified the CQC of certain events and incidents, as required.