Archived: Disability Action Yorkshire - 34 Claro Road

Disability Action Yorkshire – 34 Claro Road is a residential care home providing personal care to up to 22 people. The service provides support to younger adults who have a physical disability. At the time of our inspection there were 17 people using the service.

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

There were enough staff to provide people with safe care. Minimum safe staffing levels were in place. The provider had identified that people would benefit from more staff to support them to pursue their interests in the local area. The provider was actively trying to recruit to increase staffing.

People were safe from the risk of abuse and people told us they felt safe. Risks to people were appropriately assessed and managed. Appropriate support plans were in place for people. Maintenance and safety checks were up to date. People received their medicines as prescribed. The service was clean and hygienic. Lessons were learnt when things went wrong.

The service was well-led. There was a positive atmosphere within the home. The registered manager and provider had good oversight of the service. They understood their regulatory requirements. The registered manager engaged staff, people and relatives well. Staff were able to give suggestions, and these were listened to. People were regularly asked for their views. Staff worked well with other professionals.

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 requires improvement (published 25 October 2019).

At our last inspection we recommended that the provider reviewed staffing levels to ensure there were enough staff to keep people safe and meet their needs. At this inspection we found there were enough staff to keep people safe.

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.

For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Disability Action Yorkshire – 34 Claro Road on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.

34 Claro Road is a residential care home providing personal care to a maximum of 21 younger people who have physical disabilities. The service can support up to a maximum of 22 people.

Accommodation is provided in one adapted building. Each person has their own bedroom with an ensuite bathroom and access to a private garden area.

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

People told us they felt safe living at 34 Claro Road. The service was clean and smelt fresh throughout. Staff were aware of people’s needs and the support they required. Risk assessments were not consistently in place for all areas of identified risks, but the risk assessments that were in place guided staff as to the support people required. People confirmed they received their medicines as needed, however some improvements were required to the documentation. We have made a recommendation about staffing levels.

The system of governance had not identified all of the shortfalls highlighted during the inspection. This system was being further developed to ensure it covered all elements of the support people received.

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

Some people were able to access healthcare appointments independently; staff assisted those who required support in this area. Staff had supervisions and appraisals of their performance. They undertook training the provider considered necessary, to ensure they had the right skills and knowledge for their job. Specialist training was being sourced to support the individual needs of people living at the service.

People’s independence was encouraged, and staff treated them with dignity and respect. People told us staff were kind towards them and they were relaxed with one another. Staff understood the individual ways people communicated and encouraged them to make day to day decisions about their care.

Care plans provided staff with guidance about people’s needs, likes and preferences. People had reviews of their support with staff, where they identified goals and discussed areas to address. Staff supported people to engage in activities of their choosing. People were encouraged to come and go as they pleased and to be engaged with the community and activities they enjoyed.

Staff felt well supported in their role and understood the service’s vision and values. A series of meetings were held to seek staff and people’s views and to share important information about the service. Volunteers visited the service on a regular basis and supported people with gardening, baking and crafts, which people enjoyed.

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was good (published 8 March 2017). The service is now rated requires improvement.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up

We will work alongside the provider and local authority around improvements made. We will return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.

Disability Action Yorkshire – 34 Claro Road provides care and accommodation for up to 22 people with physical disabilities. On the day of our inspection there were 21 people using the service.

The service had a registered manager in place. 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. At the time of our inspection, the registered manager was on sick leave and a temporary manager was in charge.

We last inspected the service in October 2014 and rated the service as ‘Good.’ At this inspection we found the service remained ‘Good’ and met all the fundamental standards we inspected against.

Accidents and incidents were appropriately recorded and risk assessments were in place. The registered manager understood their responsibilities with regard to safeguarding and staff had been trained in safeguarding vulnerable adults.

Appropriate arrangements were in place for the administration and storage of medicines.

The home was clean, spacious and suitable for the people who used the service and appropriate health and safety checks had been carried out.

There were sufficient numbers of staff on duty in order to meet the needs of people who used the service. The registered provider had an effective recruitment and selection procedure in place and carried out relevant checks when they employed staff.

Staff were suitably trained and received regular supervisions and appraisals.

The registered provider was working within the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and was following the requirements in the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS).

People were protected from the risk of poor nutrition and staff were aware of people’s nutritional needs. Care records contained evidence of visits to and from external health care specialists.

People who used the service and family members were complimentary about the standard of care at Disability Action Yorkshire – 34 Claro Road.

Staff treated people with dignity and respect and helped to maintain people’s independence by encouraging them to care for themselves where possible. Care plans were in place that recorded people’s plans and wishes for their end of life care.

Care records showed that people’s needs were assessed before they started using the service and care plans were written in a person centred way.

Activities were arranged for people who used the service based on their likes and interests and to help meet their social needs.

The registered provider had an effective complaints procedure in place and people who used the service and family members were aware of how to make a complaint.

Staff felt supported by the management team and were comfortable raising any concerns. People who used the service, family members and staff were regularly consulted about the quality of the service.

We looked around the home and saw that the home was clean and well maintained. We observed the home was fresh and free from odour. However, whilst there were some systems in place to manage infectious diseases and protect people's health we noted that some areas were not audited and could be overlooked. The manager said that they would improve the audit systems to ensure these were reviewed.

We looked at the medication and found that the systems for helping people to manage their medication were safe and well organised.

We also found that staff were well supported. This included regular supervision and staff meetings. Staff also had regular training and development opportunities.

We saw that regular checks were carried out by senior management, to monitor the quality of the service and that the service annually reviewed people's 'satisfaction' of the service. We also saw that there was an effective complaints system.

We observed the staff during their interaction with individuals and saw they supported people in a respectful and dignified way. We also saw people were at ease and clearly relaxed in their surroundings.

People we spoke with said there were plenty of choices of activities if they wished. One person we spoke with said 'The important thing is I do want I want to do; I like the freedom and the fact there is no pressure on me to take part if I don't wish to.'

People told us they were given information about how to complain, they felt their concerns were listen to and acted upon. People also told us they felt the home was well managed and the staff were competent. They also felt the staff and manager were supportive and approachable.