8 December 2010
During a routine inspection
Over the course of our day in the home we saw that staff were supportive to people. We saw that staff treated people with respect.
We saw staff helping people getting organised before they went out into town, helping people with practical tasks in the kitchen, and just sitting and chatting together at various points in the day.
We saw that people using this service are encouraged to be independent and to maintain contact with the local community. People told us that they make regular visits to their families, one person went for regular fitness sessions at a local gym, one person had an interest in hot air balloon flights, while another person we spoke to was looking forward to resuming a University mathematics degree course in the New Year.
We were told that regular meetings are held between people and staff. We saw the notes of some of these meetings.
On the morning of our unannounced visit people had baked mince pies and a fruit cake in the kitchen. On one day a week each person is responsible for planning, shopping within a budget, organising and cooking their own meal.
The people we talked to were comfortable in this home. People were free to use the kitchen at any time and we saw that they did so during the course of the day. It was clear that people's own rooms are their own private area.