Archived: Barley View

The inspection of this service took place on 23 February 2016 and was unannounced.

The home did not have a registered manager in post. The previous manager had left the service in January 2016. A manager had been appointed and was available on the day of the inspection. They had applied to become the registered manager with the Care Quality Commission.. Like registered providers, registered managers 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 safe and well supported. Staff considered that they offered safe care and support. Staff knew how to recognise and report any potential signs of abuse. Risks were assessed and managed safely.

There were sufficient staff on duty to meet people’s needs and staff were recruited through safe recruitment practices. Medicines were stored and administered safely and the premises were well maintained to keep people safe.

Staff received appropriate induction and training although training to manage actual and potential aggression (MAPA) had not always been provided before staff were exposed to the behaviours. This had been identified as a priority for action by the manager. Staff felt well supported. Staff were very positive about the support they received. They understood their roles and responsibilities and worked well as a team to ensure people’s needs were met effectively. People’s rights were protected under the Mental Capacity Act 2005. People were provided with sufficient food and drink to maintain their good health and wellbeing. Health professionals were called upon when required.

Staff were kind and caring. Staff knew people’s individual preferences and respected their privacy and dignity. People enjoyed a range of activities both at the home and in the community enabling them to lead full and active lives.

People and their relatives (where appropriate) were involved in the development of the service. There were systems in place to ensure that people’s views and opinions were heard and their wishes acted upon. There was a complaints procedure in place and it was available in pictorial form to help people understand and follow the process. Staff knew the complaints procedure.

The manager provided good leadership. There were systems in place to monitor the quality of the service provided.

We spoke with three relatives and asked them for their views. We also spoke with the registered manager, a team leader and two care support workers. We looked at some service records, the support files for three people and did a tour of the building.

People were asked for their consent before any care and support was provided. Where people did not have the capacity to consent, the provider had acted in accordance with legislation. A relative told us, 'I'm involved in discussions and decisions. I had a meeting with the manager and we went through all the support plans.'

We saw people had support plans that met their needs and were up to date. A relative told us, 'They (staff) know my son's need so well. He is supported to have his health monitored. He is in the best place in the country for his needs.'

The provider had safeguarding policies and procedures in place. A relative told us, 'I have no concerns about health and safety, if I had I would have done something about it.'

We found staff received relevant training that supported and enabled them to carry out their duties. We saw the provider had internal quality, monitoring and audit systems in place.

On the day of our inspection seven people were living at the home. A person living at the home told us, 'I like living here, its good. I like all the staff but (name) is my key worker, she's the best.' And 'I have meetings with (name) and we talk about when I will visit my family. I like to stay up at night to see the night staff.'

The relatives we spoke with talked positively about the service their relative received. One person told us, 'Right from the beginning it's been an excellent service for my son. I know the staff have to remain professional but I feel my son has an extended family, his happiness and welfare is important to the staff.'

Another person said, 'The staff are very good, they have the right attitude and everything. They (staff) are caring and hard working, I can't fault them.' And 'Communication is very good, I feel involved and included in decisions.'