Background to this inspection
Updated
5 May 2015
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.
This inspection took place on 4, 5, and 10 November and 19 December 2014 and was unannounced.
Prior to this inspection we reviewed all the information we held about the service, including data about safeguarding and statutory notifications. Statutory notifications are information about important events which the provider is required to send us by law. We also spoke with the local authority and health and social professionals to gain their feedback of the care that people received.
Before the inspection, the provider completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We received the completed document prior to our visit and reviewed the content to help focus our planning and determine what areas we needed to look at during our inspection.
During our inspection, we observed how the staff interacted with the people who used the service. We also observed how people were supported during their breakfast and lunch and during individual tasks and activities.
We spoke with the four people who used the service and two relatives. We also spoke with the registered manager, deputy manager and six members of staff on duty about how care was offered to people. We observed people’s interactions with management and staff to understand the experience of people who could not talk with us.
We looked at all four people’s care records, three staff files and further records relating to the management of the service including quality audits.
The last inspection of the service was on 14 March 2013 where no concerns were identified.
Updated
5 May 2015
Dimensions 4a Ash Street is registered to provide accommodation and support for five people diagnosed with learning disabilities or autistic spectrum disorder. At the time of our inspection there were four people living in the home.
The inspection was unannounced and took place on the 4,5,10 November and 19 December 2014.
The service had a registered manager. 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.
People we spoke with told us they felt safe within the home and because of the care that staff provided them with. They told us that the staff were caring and respectful and met their needs. Our observations confirmed this and we found that there were effective systems in place to protect people from the risk of harm.
The provider had a robust recruitment process in place. Records we looked at, confirmed that staff started work in the home after all recruitment checks had been satisfactorily completed. Staff told us that they had not been offered employment until these checks had been confirmed.
Systems were in place to ensure that medicines were stored, administered and handled safely. Staffing arrangements meant there were enough staff to manage medicines appropriately and to meet people’s needs safely.
The CQC is required by law to monitor the operation of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) and to report on what we find. Through our discussions, we found staff demonstrated that they understood the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act (2005) and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards. This meant they were working to support people who may lack capacity to make their own decisions. The registered manager had a good knowledge of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) and advised us that they had made applications in respect of the people living at the service.
Staff understood the needs of people and we saw that care was provided with kindness, compassion and assured their dignity and privacy. People and their relatives all spoke very positively about the home and the care that people received.
Staff told us they received on-going training and we found that they were appropriately trained and understood their roles and responsibilities, as well as the values of the home. They said that they had completed on going training to ensure that the care provided to people was safe and effective to meet their needs. Staff also told us they had robust support, induction and supervision that was relevant to the needs of the people who lived at Dimensions 4a Ash Street.
People received effective support around their personal needs and we found that staff supported people to maintain their mobility and nutritional needs.
People had access to healthcare professionals when they became unwell or required help with an existing medical condition. We found that people’s ability to remain independent was encouraged and people were supported to access activities that they enjoyed within the home and in the wider community.
Staff spoke positively about the support they received from the registered manager. Staff told us there was a good level of communication within the home which helped them to be aware of any changes. People told us they found the staff and management approachable and knew how to raise complaints and concerns.
We found that the service was well-led and that staff were well supported and consequently motivated to do a good job. The registered manager and senior staff consistently monitored and reviewed the quality of care people received and encouraged feedback from people and their representatives, to identify, plan and make improvements to the service.