Background to this inspection
Updated
14 November 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 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.
This comprehensive inspection took place on the 1 October 2018 and was announced. The inspection team consisted of one inspector.
The inspection was informed by information we held about the service. Before the inspection, the provider completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is information we require providers to send us at least once annually to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. This also included statutory notifications the provider had sent us. A statutory notification is information about important events, which the provider is required to send to us by law. We also considered the last inspection report and information that had been sent to us by other agencies. We also contacted commissioners who had a contract with the service for their feedback.
We were unable to speak with people to gain their views about the service due to their communication needs. However, we spent time in the company of people and used observations of how staff engaged with people to help us understand people’s experience. We spoke with the registered manager, four care staff and three relatives.
We looked at the care records of two people who used the service. We checked that the care they received matched the information in their records. We also looked at a range of information to consider how the provider ensured the quality of the service; these included the management of medicines, staff recruitment and support, audits and checks on the safety of the environment.
Updated
14 November 2018
The inspection took place on 1 October 2018 and was unannounced. 9 Blunt Street is a care home that provides accommodation with personal care and is registered to accommodate four people. It provides a service to younger adults with a learning disability and complex needs.
The accommodation at 9 Blunt Street consists of a lounge, a sensory room, a kitchen with dining facilities and four personalised bedrooms. The service has a vehicle people can use and there are good links to public transport and local community facilities. At the time of our inspection four people were using the service.
9 Blunt Street 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. 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 November 2016, we rated the service good. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of good and 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.
The service remained safe. People were protected from the risks of abuse because staff understood where harm may be caused and took action when people were at risk. Where staff were concerned about their safety they knew who to speak with. People were supported to take risks at home and when out and encouraged to be independent and learn new life skills. Risks were assessed and reviewed to keep people safe and protect them from avoidable harm.
People kept their medicines in the bedroom and were helped to understand what their medicines were for. Staff knew why people needed medicines and when these should be taken. Staffing were organised flexibly to enable people to be involved with activities and to do the things they enjoyed.
People still had good effective outcomes and had access to food and drink that they liked. People’s health and wellbeing needs were monitored and they were supported to organise and attend health appointments as required.
People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service support this practice. People made decisions about their care and staff helped them to understand the information they needed to make informed decisions. Staff sought people’s consent before they provided care and they were helped to make decisions which were in their best interests. Where people’s liberty was restricted, this had been done lawfully to safeguard them.
People received personalised care and staff were confident that they assisted people in the way they wanted. Staff knew people’s likes and dislikes and care records reflected how people wanted to be supported and how care was provided. Staff respected people’s privacy and dignity, encouraged people with making choices, and promoted independence. People could have an advocate to help them to make important decisions.
The service remained caring and people were treated with kindness, compassion and respect and staff promoted people’s independence. The staff had developed good relationships with people and helped them to maintain relationships with their families and friends. Staff recognised where people may be unhappy and expressed dissatisfaction. Relatives knew how to complain about their care and concerns were responded to.
The provider and registered manager assessed and monitored the quality of care to ensure standards were met and maintained. Where necessary, improvements were made to the service. The provider had an ongoing action plan that showed how the service was continually improving.
They understood the requirements of their registration with us informed us of information that we needed to know.