Archived: The Bungalow

Updated 23 January 2016

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 was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, looked at the overall quality of the service, and provided a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

The inspection took place on 7 December 2015 and was unannounced. The inspection was carried out by one inspector who had experience of mental health and learning disability services.

Before the inspection we reviewed information we had about the service, including previous inspection reports and notifications the provider sent to us. A notification is information about important events which the provider is required to tell us about by law. The provider completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. This is information that helps us to assess the service. The manager and their line manager gave us additional information on the day of the inspection.

We spoke with or observed care and support being given to three of the people who lived at the home. We spoke with the manager, service manager and four members of support staff. We spoke with the families of three people who live at the home.

We looked at the care plans and associated records for three people. We reviewed other records, including the provider’s policies and procedures, emergency plans, internal and external checks and audits, staff training, staff appraisal and supervision records, staff rotas, and recruitment records for three members of staff.

Updated 23 January 2016

The Bungalow is registered to offer support and accommodation for up to 5 people with learning disabilities and autism. On the day of our visit there were 5 people living at the home. Care was provided on one floor; each person had their own room and shared a kitchen, lounge and garden.

There was no registered manager in place, although there was a manager in place who has applied to the Commission and is having their interview with us shortly. 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.

This inspection took place on 7 December 2015 and was unannounced.

The service had robust systems in place to maintain people’s safety at all times. Risk assessments were carried out to identify and minimise risks to people.

People were safe because staff supported them to keep safe and staff knew how to manage risk effectively. Recruitment practices ensured staff were suitable to work with adults at risk. There were sufficient numbers of care staff with the correct skills and knowledge to keep people safe.

Medicines were administered, recorded and stored in line with company policy and good practice. Staff were aware of the importance of medicines management and showed knowledge of the medicines they administered and their purpose.

Staff underwent a comprehensive induction period and ongoing training which enabled them to effectively support people in their care.

People and their relatives were involved in making decisions about their care and support. Their care plans were individual and contained information about how they preferred to communicate and their ability to make decisions. The service was aware of and met the legal obligations around mental capacity and deprivation of liberty.

Staff had good relationships with people who used the service and were attentive to their needs. People’s privacy and dignity was respected. People were encouraged to take part in activities that they enjoyed, and were supported to keep in contact with family members. When needed, they were supported to see health professionals and referrals were put through to ensure they had the appropriate care and treatment.

Relatives and staff were complimentary about the management of the service. Staff understood their roles and responsibilities in providing safe and good quality care to the people who used the service.

The management team had systems in place to monitor the quality of the service provided.