1 October 2015
During a routine inspection
This inspection took place on the 1 October 2015 and was unannounced. When the service was last inspected in July 2013 there were no breaches of the legal requirements identified.
Dimensions Fir Lodge 91 Bloomfield is registered to provide care and support for up to five people with a learning disability. The home is located in a residential street in Bath. The five people who currently reside at the home have all lived there for a number of years.
A registered manager was in post at the time of inspection. 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 unable to tell us of their experience of living in the house. We found that people’s rights were being upheld in line with the Mental Capacity Act 2005. This is a legal framework to protect people who are unable to make certain decisions themselves. There was documentation related to a service user’s capacity to make decisions and how to support a service user safely when there was evidence that they lacked capacity to make informed decisions themselves.
People had their physical and mental health needs monitored. All care records that we viewed showed people had access to healthcare professionals according to their specific needs.
Relatives were welcomed to the service and could visit people at times that were convenient to them. People maintained contact with their family and were therefore not isolated from those people closest to them.
Staffing numbers were sufficient to meet people’s needs and this ensured people were supported safely. Staff we spoke with felt the staffing level was appropriate. People were supported with their medicines by staff and people had their medicines when they needed them.
People received effective care from the staff that supported them. We received positive comments from people we spoke with about the staff. One visiting health professional commented, “The staff are very friendly and promote an encouraging environment. They have a desire to facilitate independence and skills building. They’re very receptive to ideas and how things can change.”
Staff were caring towards people and there was a good relationship between people and staff. People and their representatives were involved in the planning of their care and support. Staff demonstrated and in-depth understanding of the needs and preferences of the people they cared for.
Support provided to people met their needs. Supporting records highlighted personalised information about what was important to people and how to support them. People were involved in activities of their choice.
There were systems in place to assess, monitor and improve the quality and safety of the service. Arrangements were also in place for obtaining people’s feedback about the service.