21 December 2015
During a routine inspection
Ansar 4 is a terraced house on a main road on the outskirts of Radcliffe. It is registered to provide accommodation and personal care for one person with learning disabilities.
The service has a registered manager who was not present on the day of the 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.
Policies and procedures were in place to safeguard people from abuse and staff had received training in safeguarding adults. Staff were able to tell us how to identify and respond to allegations of abuse. They were also aware of the responsibility to ‘whistle blow’ on colleagues who they thought might be delivering poor practice to people.
A safe system of recruitment was in place which helped protect the person from the risk of unsuitable staff. We found that the person was supported by a small team of staff who they liked and who knew the person well. There were sufficient staff at all times to ensure the person had the support they required.
The service had a positive approach to risk management. Person centred risk assessments were in place that supported staff to manage risk in a positive way. They also gave staff guidance on how to promote the person’s independence whilst managing risks.
There was a safe system in place for managing the person’s medicines.
The home was clean, bright, and well decorated it was homely and contained lots of the personal belongings and photographs. Systems were in place for dealing with emergencies that could affect the provision of care such as failure of gas and electric supply. The person’s rights and choices were respected. The provider was meeting the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards. Staff supported the person in a way that encouraged them to make choices.
Staff had received the induction, training and supervision they required to ensure they had the skills and knowledge needed to carry out their roles effectively.
Staff and managers we spoke with demonstrated a commitment to person centred care and to continually reviewing the service to ensure it was meeting the person’s needs. They used a variety of ways of involving the person and of finding out what they wanted from the service.
The service had detailed guidance for staff on how to support the person when they showed behaviour that challenged the service. This included understanding how the person communicated and guided staff on how to respond. A communication passport was used to identify what the person meant when using signs, gestures and sounds.
The relative we spoke with felt the staff and managers were caring. During our inspection, we saw that the person liked the staff that were supporting them and enjoyed the gentle humour they used. We saw staff were kind, relaxed and sensitive to the person’s needs.
Care records were detailed and person centred. They contained detailed information about the person and what staff needed to do to support them. These included a person centred plan that had information about people, places and things that the person liked and things the person didn’t like also their “gifts and talents” and their dreams and wishes for the future. This contained pictures and graphics to help the person understand what it was about
There was a varied programme of activities both inside the home and in community settings that was based on the person’s interests and hobbies. Staff regularly supported people to visit relatives and friends outside of the home.
We found there was a system in place for quality assurance. Weekly and monthly checks and audits were used to assess, monitor and review the service. We saw there was a system for gathering people’s views about the service and acting upon suggestions and ideas. Relatives felt listened to and were involved in improving the service.
People spoke positively about the registered manager and managers within the service and of their caring and person centred approach. Staff told us they enjoyed working for the service and felt supported in their roles.