Archived: Morningside

Morningside is a small bungalow set in its own grounds in a residential area a short walk from the amenities of Penrith. It provides care and support for up to five people who live with learning disabilities. At the time of our inspection there were four people living there.

The service had 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. At the time of our inspection a new manager had been appointed and the service was in the process of registering them with the CQC. They will be referred to as ‘the manager’ throughout this report. The registered manager was not present but did attend the home regularly as part of the transition to the new manager.

Support plans were subject to regular review to ensure they met people’s changing needs. They were easy to read and based on assessment and reflected the needs of people. Risk assessments were carried out and plans were put in place to reduce risks to people’ safety and welfare.

Where people were not able to make important decisions about their lives the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 were followed to protect their rights. Staff were aware of how to identify and report abuse. There were also policies in place that outlined what to do if staff had concerns about the practice of a colleague.

There were sufficient staff to meet people’s needs. They were trained to an appropriate standard and received regular supervision and appraisal. As part of their recruitment process the service carried out background checks on new staff including Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks.

The service managed medicines appropriately. They were correctly stored, monitored and administered in accordance with the prescription. People were supported to maintain their health and to access health services if needed.

Staff had developed good relationships and demonstrated good communication skills. They were aware of how to treat people with dignity and respect.

There was a complaints procedure in place that outlined how to make a complaint and how long it would take to deal with. People were aware of how to raise a complaint and who to speak to about any concerns they had.

The manager had a vision for the future of the service. A quality assurance system was in place that was utilised to improve the service.

Morningside is a small bungalow set in its own grounds in a residential area a short walk from the amenities of Penrith. It provides care and support for up to five people who live with learning disabilities. At the time of our inspection there were four people living there.

The service had 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.

The premises were not clean or tidy which meant that it was difficult to maintain a hygienic environment. The provider intended to improve the environment and ensure people were properly supported to maintain their own personal spaces, such as bedrooms.

There were insufficient staff to meet people’s needs. The provider had identified a safe level of staff but consistently failed to maintain this. The provider had successfully employed two new staff to alleviate this issue and recruitment was ongoing.

A quality assurance system was in place but was ineffectual. This was because the registered manager had insufficient time to complete audits and checks, due to staffing pressures.

The service managed medicines appropriately. They were correctly stored, monitored and administered in accordance with the prescription. People were supported to maintain their health and to access health services if needed. People who required support with eating and drinking received it and had their nutrition and hydration support needs regularly assessed.

We found breaches of regulations in relation to premises and equipment, staffing and good governance. You can see the action we have asked the provider to take at the back of this report.

We found that people experienced care, treatment and support that met their needs which was delivered by staff who were supported to an appropriate standard. People who used the service were protected from the risk of abuse and against the risks of unsafe or unsuitable premises.,The provider had an effective system to regularly assess and monitor the quality of service that people receive.

"Yes they support us."

"They speak to us nicely."

"I'm alright."

We found that the home was clean and maintained good standards of hygiene. The staff were knowledgeable about the people they supported and had good relationships with them. There were effective systems in place to monitor the quality of service provided.