Archived: Evergreen

Updated 10 February 2016

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.

The inspection took place on 23 December 2015 and was announced. The provider was given 24 hours’ notice of our inspection because there were only three people living in the house and we needed to ensure that somebody would be available.

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 reviewed the information available to us about the home, such as the notifications that they had sent us. A notification is information about important events which the provider is required to send us by law. We also reviewed the report issued following a recent local authority monitoring visit and details of provider meetings held to discuss concerns raised earlier in the year.

During this inspection, we spoke with three people and two relatives of people who used the service, three members of staff and the registered manager. We observed how care was delivered and reviewed the care records and risk assessments for all three people who used the service. We checked medicines administration records (MAR) and looked at staff training, recruitment and supervision records for four staff. We looked at the service’s policies and procedures and their system for handling complaints. We also reviewed information on how the quality of the service was monitored and managed. We reviewed reports from the local authority and spoke with two healthcare professionals involved with the service.

Updated 10 February 2016

Evergreen provides personal care for up to four adults with learning disabilities and/or autism spectrum disorder in Luton. At the time of our inspection there were three people using the service.

This inspection took place on 23 December 2015 and was announced. The provider was given 24 hours’ notice of our inspection as we needed to ensure that people would be available to speak with us on the day.

The service had a registered manager. 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 using the service were kept safe from risk of harm and the provider had robust risk assessments in place to identify and manage people’s complex behavioural needs. People’s healthcare needs were met by the service and people were supported to be able to attend appointments with professionals.

Medicines were administered by trained staff who had been assessed on their competencies and the service had procedures in place to ensure medicines were stored and managed safely.

People were involved in planning their menus and had a healthy, balanced and varied diet. We found that they were supported to undertake a range of hobbies and activities and the service took a creative and proactive approach to encouraging people to lead full and happy lives.

People were involved in the day to day running of the service and every stage of their care planning. The service routinely included them in all matters affecting the service. People were encouraged to take part in all matters affecting the service, which included the recruitment of new staff and staff training.

Views were sought from people and their relatives and used to continually improve the quality of the support being provided. People were treated with dignity and respect by staff who were knowledgeable about their individual needs.

Staff received a wide and varied range of training and the service took an innovative and person-led approach to providing staff with the skills, knowledge and experience to undertake their role effectively. Staff had comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the Mental Capacity Act (2008), Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLs) and how this legislation related to the people using the service.

Staff were caring, knowledgeable and had developed positive relationships with people they supported. Supervisions and performance reviews were held regularly and provided staff with opportunities to contribute to both their own professional development and the development of the service.

People, relatives and staff all provided positive feedback about the way in which the service was managed. The service had robust quality assurance systems in place which identified improvements that needed to be made, and the manager worked closely with the local authority to identify ways in which standards could be improved. Staff were encouraged to participate and develop within an open and supportive culture and understood the visions and values of the service. Staff meetings gave both people and staff the opportunity to share feedback and identify goals and objectives for the service.