Pendle View

Pendle View is a residential care home which provides accommodation and personal care to up to six people with mental health support needs. At the time of the inspection, four people were living at the home.

People’s experience of using this service:

People were happy with the care and support provided by the service. However, we found some areas needed to be improved.

Some areas of the home were not clean and people were not protected from the risks associated with poor infection control practices. The provider followed safe processes when recruiting new staff. The service managed people's medicines and risks to people’s health and wellbeing in a safe way. People were happy with staffing levels at the home.

Staff supported people in a way which met their needs. Staff were happy with the induction and training provided by the service. The service supported people in line with the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and applied to the local authority for authorisation when people needed to be deprived of their liberty to keep them safe. Staff supported people to meet their dietary and healthcare needs and referred people to community professionals when they needed extra support.

People liked the staff who supported them. Staff considered people’s diversity and respected their right to privacy and dignity. They encouraged people to be independent when it was safe to do so. Staff encouraged people to make decisions about their support and their everyday lives. People had access to advocacy services.

Staff supported people in a way which reflected their needs, risks and preferences. Staff supported people to follow their interests and take part in a variety of activities inside and outside the home. Complaints had been managed in line with the complaints policy and people felt able to raise concerns with staff or management..

There was a lack of effective oversight of the service by the provider. Audits and checks of the home were not always accurate and improvements identified as necessary, were not always made in a timely way. There was not always a senior member of staff on duty to ensure people were supported as they should be. The service worked in partnership with a variety of community agencies. Staff sought people’s views about their support and took action in response to many of their comments.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection:

At the last inspection the service was rated good (published 7 December 2016).

Why we inspected:

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

During this inspection we identified a breach of the regulations relating to the cleanliness of the premises and the lack of effective oversight of the service by the provider.

Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.

Follow up:

We will request an action plan from the provider to understand what they will do to improve the standards of quality and safety. We will monitor the progress of the improvements, working alongside the provider and local authority. We will return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received, we may inspect sooner.

Pendle View is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to six adults with mental ill health and also provides personal care and support to people living in their own homes. The home is a mid-terraced house located on the outskirts of Nelson, close to local shops. There are four single bedrooms and one shared room used as a single. Town centre services are a short distance away and there are transport links nearby. There is car parking to the front of the home. At the time of the inspection there were five people accommodated in the home and 13 people receiving a service in their own home.

At the previous inspection on 16 July 2014 we found the service was meeting all the standards assessed.

The service was managed by a registered manager. 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 told us they did not have any concerns about the way they were treated and were happy with the care and support provided. We did not observe anything to give us cause for concern about people’s safety. People had access to information on abuse, bullying and safeguarding.

Staff were able to describe the action they would take if they witnessed or suspected any abusive or neglectful practice and had received training on the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). This meant they had knowledge of the principles associated with the legislation and people’s rights.

People received safe support with their medicines and staff who administered medicines had received appropriate training. The service had clear recruitment and selection policies and procedures and we found a safe and fair process had been followed. Staff received appropriate training, supervision and support to give them the necessary skills and knowledge to look after people properly.

People told us there were sufficient numbers of staff to meet their needs in a safe way and they were happy with staff and managers at the service. People receiving care in their own home told us they were familiar with all staff, they arrived on time and never missed a visit. Staff were knowledgeable about people’s individual needs, preferences and personalities and people were involved in making choices and decisions about their day. We observed friendly and respectful interactions between people using the service and staff.

People were encouraged to be involved in the running of the home and were kept up to date with any changes. There was a complaints process to manage and respond to people’s concerns. People told us they had no complaints and were aware of how to raise their concerns. They were encouraged to discuss their concerns during day to day discussions with staff and managers, during regular reviews, in meetings and by completing the satisfaction surveys.

People told us they enjoyed their meals and they were supported to shop, prepare and cook their own meals as part of the rehabilitation process. Consideration had been given to healthy eating and to people’s dietary preferences and needs.

People had been involved in the development and review of their support plans. People were supported with their physical and mental healthcare needs and were involved in discussions and decisions about their health and were supported to set and achieve any goals they had set for themselves.

People were able to keep in contact with their friends and family. There were opportunities for involvement in meaningful activities including voluntary work and employment both inside and outside the home.

The home was clean and homely. Appropriate aids and adaptations had been provided to help maintain people’s safety, independence and comfort. People had arranged their bedrooms as they wished, chosen the décor and had brought personal possessions with them. However, we found some areas of the home were in need of attention. We were told improvements would be completed by the end of November 2016. Systems were in place to manage and report any faults in people’s homes. We were told any issues were addressed efficiently.

People were happy with the way the service was managed. There were systems in place to effectively monitor the quality of the service and to obtain and act on people’s views and opinions. We noted any identified shortfalls had been addressed and were kept under review.

We considered all the evidence we had gathered under the outcomes we inspected. We used the information to answer the five questions we always ask;

• Is the service safe?

• Is the service effective?

• Is the service caring?

• Is the service responsive?

• Is the service well-led?

This is a summary of what we found:

Is the service safe?

People who used the service told us they were satisfied with the support they experienced at Pendle View. They told us, “I think we get good support” and “I am happy with the service”.

People using the service told us they had no worries or concerns about their care and support. They made the following comments: “I feel safe here” and “There’s no bad treatment”.

There were enough care workers to make sure people got the support they needed in line with their care package.

Is the service effective?

People were involved in discussions about their care and on-going reviews. The service worked well with others and arrangements were in place to share information. However, some progress was needed to make sure all risks were appropriately communicated.

Arrangements were in place for care workers to develop their skills and receive appropriate training. Staff were being supervised and had opportunity to discuss work practices.

Is the service caring?

People spoken with told us they were satisfied with care and support they experienced at Pendle View. One person told us, “It’s alright”.

People told us they were happy with the care workers. They said, “I really like the staff” and “They are nice”. We observed some positive interactions between people using the service and staff.

Is the service responsive?

Arrangements were in place to review people's needs and abilities. This meant their individual needs and choices were being be considered and planned for.

Care workers spoken with were aware of the emergency procedures, including contacting health care services and reporting matters to the management team as needed.

Is the service well-led?

The service had a registered manager responsible for the day to day operation of the service and a team leader. Care workers spoken with described the managers as supportive and approachable.

We found people were involved with decisions which affected them informally on a daily basis. Residents meetings were being held and people had been invited to complete satisfaction surveys for their views on the service.

There were systems in place to assess and monitor how care and support was provided, and to monitor the quality of the service. However we found the checking systems for people supported in their own homes needed further development.

People were being involved as far as possible in making decisions about matters which affected them. They were supported to make choices and develop independent living skills.

People were supported to access resources and activities within the community and keep in touch with others.

People were getting support with healthcare needs and they had access to on-going support from health care professionals.

People were provided with safe, comfortable and pleasant accommodation.

We found the staff training and development was sufficient in ensuring people received effective care and support.

There were systems in place to help support people to make complaints and raise concerns. However, we found procedures needed updating to make sure people had the correct information.