The inspection took place on 7th August 2015.The inspection was unannounced.
Harvelin Park offers personal and social care for younger adults with learning disabilities. The home is an attractive bungalow set in a peaceful area of the Calder Valley. The provider of the service is also the registered manager. A permanent home is offered to five people.
There was a registered manager in place. 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.
Safeguarding information and contact details were easy to access. Posters encouraged reporting of potential abuse and the details of who could be contacted were present on notice boards. The service had a safeguarding policy in place. Staff told us they would reported any concerns. Staff felt their concerns would be listened to and actioned. Staff received training on safeguarding and were able to tell us different types of abuse and the warning signs they looked for.
People’s care records and risk assessments were kept up to date and reflected people’s current needs. Identified risks were supported by measures to reduce or remove the risks. Staff told us about people’s care records and associated risks.
The rotas showed us a sufficient number of staff were deployed to meet people’s needs and safeguard them from risks. People told us staff supported them and met their needs.
People’s medicines were administered in a safe way. People received their medicines in line with their prescription. We found medication administration records were signed correctly. Medicines were stored appropriately in a cupboard. People had ‘as and when required’ (PRN) medicine. These medicines had a protocol sheet advising staff when these could be administered.
Care records were person centred and reviewed monthly as a minimum or when someone’s needs had changed. Care plans included people’s personal preferences, likes and dislikes. Where appropriate peoples families had signed to say they supported the care records.
We saw people were supported to maintain good health and had access to healthcare professionals.
People were supported to do as much as they could for themselves to improve their independence. We saw people had individual menus to ensure the food provided met their preferences.
We spent time observing care and support being given. Staff were seen to treat people with respect and dignity. Staff had developed relationships with people so they appeared comfortable, at ease and shared interactions and laughter with staff. We saw staff asked people what they wanted to do before they did it. If people refused their decision was respected.
We spoke with two staff members who told us they had confidence in the registered manager and believed any concerns would be listened to, recorded and actioned. People that used the service told us they liked the registered manager and felt any issues they raised would be resolved.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) monitors the operation of the DoLS (Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards) which applies to care homes. We saw referrals had been made for people that had been deprived of their liberty. The service was acting within the legal framework of the Mental Capacity Act, including meeting the requirements of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS).