23 December 2016
During a routine inspection
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.