Archived: Wolves Lodge

Wolves Lodge is registered to provide care and support to three people with learning disabilities and autism. This is a transition service for young adults and young people moving from children’s to adult’s services.

The care service has been developed and designed in line with the values that underpin the Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These values include choice, promotion of independence and inclusion. People with learning disabilities and autism using the service can live as ordinary a life as any citizen.

At the time of our announced inspection there was one person who used the service. We gave the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection as we needed to be sure that someone would be present.

At our last inspection on 24 June 2016, we rated the service overall Good. The key questions Safe, Caring, Responsive and Well Led were rated good. The key question Effective was rated Requires Improvement as not all staff had received the training and supervision needed to carry out their roles.

At this inspection on 11 September 2018, we found that improvements had been made and sustained and Effective is now rated as Good. We found the evidence continued to support the overall rating of Good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

Staff understood their roles and responsibilities in keeping people safe. They were trained and supported to meet people’s needs. Staff were available when people needed assistance and had been recruited safely.

Staff had developed good relationships with people. Staff consistently protected people’s privacy and dignity and promoted their independence.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People received care that was personalised and responsive to their needs. They participated in meaningful activities and were supported to pursue their interests and educational studies. The service listened to people’s experiences, concerns and complaints and acted where needed.

People were enabled to eat and drink enough to maintain a balanced diet. They were also supported to maintain good health and access healthcare services.

The registered manager was passionate and committed to delivering high quality care and support to people. They were accessible, supportive and had good leadership skills. Staff were aware of the values of the provider and understood their roles and responsibilities. Morale was good within the workforce.

Systems were in place to receive, record, store and administer medicines safely. Where people required assistance to take their medicines there were arrangements in place to provide this support safely.

The design and layout of the building was hazard free and met the needs of people who lived there. All areas of the home were clean and in a good state of repair with equipment maintained. Systems were in place to minimise the risks to people, including from abuse, accessing the community and with their medicines.

A system of audits, both internal and external, ensured the provider had oversight of the quality and safety of the service and shortfalls were identified and addressed. There was a culture of listening to people and positively learning from events so similar incidents were not repeated. As a result, the quality of the service continued to develop.

The service is registered to provide care and support to three people with learning disabilities and autistic spectrum disorder. At the time of our inspection three people were using the service.

There was no registered manager in post but the manager was in the process of applying to be registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC). 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.

At our last inspection on 30 September 2015 we identified a number of areas of concern and found that there were breaches of regulation regarding safeguarding, auditing and records, training and recruitment of staff. At this inspection we found that improvements had been made and the new manager was clearly focussed on continuing to improve the service.

Staff training was not up to date for some staff, according to the service’s own policy. The manager has undertaken to ensure this is delivered promptly.

Staff were trained in safeguarding people from the risk of abuse and systems were in place to protect people from all forms of abuse including financial. Staff understood their responsibilities to report any safeguarding concerns they may have.

Risks had been assessed and actions taken to reduce these risks. Risk assessments were detailed and had been appropriately reviewed.

Staffing levels matched the assessed safe levels. Recruitment procedures, designed to ensure that staff were suitable for this type of work, were robust.

Medicines were administered safely and records related to medicines management were accurately completed.

Most staff had received training in the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2015 and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). The MCA and DoLS ensure that, where people lack capacity to make decisions for themselves, decisions are made in their best interests according to a structured process. Where people’s liberty needs to be restricted for their own safety, this must done in accordance with legal requirements. Appropriate applications had been made and two had been authorised.

People were supported with their eating and drinking needs and staff helped people to maintain good health by supporting them with their day to day healthcare needs.

Staff were very caring and treated people respectfully making sure their dignity was maintained. Staff were positive about the job they did and enjoyed the relationships they had built with the people they were supporting and caring for.

People, and their relatives, were involved in planning and reviewing their care and were encouraged to provide feedback on the service. Care plans had been appropriately reviewed and reflected people’s current needs.

Formal complaints had been responded to in line with the service’s complaints procedure. Staff understood their roles and felt well supported by the management of the service, although structured supervision was not regular.

Quality assurance systems were in place and action had been taken promptly to address any concerns. Record keeping was good and there was clear management oversight of the day to day running of the service. The new manager had worked in partnership with senior staff and other social care professionals to ensure the service was now operating as a transitional service and not a permanent home.