SENSE - 6 Lilac Grove

Updated 25 May 2018

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection checked 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.

This was a comprehensive inspection which took place on 25 April 2018 and was announced. We gave the registered manager 24 hours’ notice so they could support one person to be aware that we were visiting. The inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Before the inspection we reviewed information we held about the service. We looked at previous inspection reports and reviewed notifications of incidents the provider had sent us since the last inspection. A notification is information about important events, which the service is required to send us by law.

We used a number of different methods to help us understand the experiences of people who use the service. We met the three people who were living at the service and one person gave us feedback about the care and support they received. We spoke with two relatives to gain their feedback.

We also spoke with the registered manager, deputy manager and two care staff. During our inspection we looked around the premises. We observed daily routines and interactions between people and staff supporting them to help us gain an understanding of the people and the care they received at Sense - 6 Lilac Grove.

We looked at documents that related to people’s care and support and the management of the service. We reviewed a range of records which included three care and support plans and daily records, staff training records, staff duty rosters, staff personnel files, policies and procedures and quality monitoring documents.

Updated 25 May 2018

Sense - 6 Lilac Grove is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Sense - 6 Lilac Grove is registered to provide accommodation and personal care for up to four people who are visually, hearing and sensory impaired. At the time of our inspection there were three people living in the home. Three of the bedrooms are located on the ground floor with a communal lounge, dining room and kitchen. The fourth bedroom is located on the first floor.

The care service has been developed and designed in line with the values that underpin the Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These values include choice, promotion of independence and inclusion. People with learning disabilities and autism using the service can live as ordinary a life as any citizen.

At our last inspection in April 2016 we rated the service good. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of good. There was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection. At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

A registered manager was employed by the service and was present during our inspection. 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 were supported by staff who were kind and caring and who showed a genuine interest in people’s well-being. People looked relaxed in the presence of staff and did not hesitate to seek assistance and support when required.

The service was responsive to people’s needs and people were able to make daily choices about their daily routines and the support they received. People had access to a range of organised and informal activities. Care plans were person centred and contained detailed information of people’s likes, dislikes and preferences.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives, and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible. We saw staff seeking consent before providing assistance or support to people. There was a range of ways used to support people to communicate their wants and wishes. For those people who were unable to verbally ask for help, staff anticipated their needs. We observed this was done by staff interpreting the sounds they made, their expressions and body language.

People had access to food and drink throughout the day and were supported to eat their preferred food choices. Where people chose not to eat the menu options available alternatives were offered.

People continued to be protected from the risk of harm or abuse and received a safe service. People’s medicines were managed safely, and they received them in the way they preferred. There were sufficient staff to keep people safe and to meet their care and support needs.

People received care from staff who knew them well and had the skills and knowledge to meet their individual needs. Staff monitored people’s health and well-being and made sure they had access to the appropriate healthcare professionals according to their individual needs.

The registered manager had systems in place to monitor the quality of the service provided. The service worked in conjunction with other health professionals to support people to access additional support and services where needed.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.