Archived: Silver Birch Road

About the service

Silver Birch Road is a residential care home providing personal care on a short-term, respite care basis for four people who have physical and or learning disabilities, including autistic spectrum disorder. The accommodation is provided in an adapted home, with lift, specialist bathroom and shower room, shared dining room, lounge and rear garden. At the time of our inspection, one person was staying at the service.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

People received personalised care from staff who knew them well. The provider ensured there were enough, suitably recruited and trained staff to meet people's needs and promote their wellbeing.

Staff knew how to protect people from the risk of abuse. Risks associated with people's care were identified and managed safely, including receiving their prescribed medicines. People were supported to maintain a varied and healthy diet and to access other professionals to maintain good health.

Staff were kind and caring, treated people with respect and promoted their privacy and dignity at all

times. People's diversity was recognised and promoted by the staff and systems were in place to meet people's communication needs. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives, in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People benefitted from a service that had an open and inclusive culture. The provider monitored the quality and safety of the service to ensure it remained safe for people. Staff enjoyed working at the service and felt supported and valued by the registered manager.

People and their relatives felt confident any concerns and complaints they raised would be acted on. The provider listened and acted on people's views to drive improvements at the service.

The outcomes for people using the service reflected the principles and values of Registering the Right Support by promoting choice and control, independence and inclusion. People’s support focused on them having as many opportunities as possible for them to gain new skills and become more independent.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was Good (published 4 May 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.

At the time of our last inspection in February 2015, the provider was rated as ‘good’ over-all with a rating of ‘requires improvement’ in one of the areas we looked at; whether the service was safe. This was because risk assessments were not always sufficiently detailed to ensure staff had all of the information they needed to keep people safe. At this inspection, we found that improvements had been made.

Silver Birch Road provides respite accommodation and personal care for people who require specialist support relating to their learning and physical disabilities. ‘Respite’ is the term used for when people receive care and support at a location for a short period of time. The provider is registered to provide accommodation and personal care for up to four people at any one time. At the time of our inspection, there were two people staying at the service.

There was a registered manager in post. 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 supported by enough members of staff who had been safely recruited and received adequate training to ensure they had the knowledge and skills they required to do their job effectively.

People received care and support with their consent and people’s rights were protected because processes had been fully followed to ensure people were not unlawfully restricted. They were also supported by staff who protected their privacy and dignity.

People’s nutritional needs were assessed and monitored to identify any risks associated with nutrition and hydration.

People were supported to maintain good health because staff worked closely with other health and social care professionals when necessary. People received support to take their prescribed medicines as required.

People were supported by staff that were kind and caring and that were dedicated and committed to getting to know people well. This meant that people received the care they wanted based on their personal preferences, likes and dislikes.

People were encouraged to be as independent as possible and were supported to express their views in all aspects of their lives. Staff were respectful of people’s diverse needs and the importance of promoting equality.

The provider was very responsive because people felt involved in the planning and review of their care because staff communicated with them in ways they could understand.

People were encouraged to engage in activities that they enjoyed and were supported to maintain positive relationships with their friends and relatives.

The service was not always well led because systems and processes in place to monitor the quality of the service were not always effective and staff felt that the organisation and the communication within the service could be improved. People were encouraged to offer feedback on the quality of the service and knew how to complain.

Care and treatment was well planned and delivered. People and families were involved in the care and it met people's needs. Activities were maintained as they would be at people's homes whilst staying at this respite service.

Food and drink met people's nutritional needs and there was variety and choice so people could have what they wanted. Fresh fruit and vegetables were available daily. Where people wanted to maintain a restricted diet, encouragement was given to explore other food choices.

People were protected from abuse; by having a staff team that was well trained and able to recognise signs of abuse and report it. One person told us: 'I feel safe here.'

The premises were adapted to ensure that people who were using the services could access all the areas such as the garden and bedrooms. It was in a good state of repair, and staff were supported by outside contractors to maintain it.

The two people using the service were not present when we visited. We were told they could become distressed if they saw us. Therefore, we ensured that we spoke with people who would be able to share with us their views about the the service provided. We spoke with six relatives / carers of people who used the service and three staff. We looked at two sets of care documents.

We found that people consented prior to support being given. People's needs were met, one relative told us, 'Brilliant, it is a perfect place'. The service endeavoured to ensure the environment and activities were similar to what people were used to.

The provider understood its roles as part of the multidisciplinary team and shared appropriately information about people. They sought and acted on best advice from external healthcare professionals.

The equipment used was serviced regularly and was appropriate for the needs of people. Staff were given training in its use, if it was new to them.

The provider conducted auditing and monitoring of the service. They used the information to improve the experience for people. One relative when asked about the service said, 'it's like home, and very calm'.