Archived: Northmead House

Updated 3 July 2015

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 inspection took place on 21 May 2015 and was unannounced. It was carried out by one inspector.

We reviewed the Provider Information Record (PIR) before the inspection. The PIR is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and the improvements they plan to make. We also looked at notifications sent in by the service. A notification is information about important events which the service is required to tell us about by law.

At the time of this inspection there were three people staying at the home. During the inspection we spoke with two people and four members of staff. We also spoke with a social care professional on the telephone.

We spent time in the dining room so that we could observe how staff interacted with the people who lived there.

We looked at a sample of records relating to the running of the home and to the care of individuals. These included the care records of three people who were staying at the home. We also looked at records relating to the management and administration of people’s medicines, health and safety and quality assurance.

Updated 3 July 2015

Northmead House provides a short stay respite service for adults with a learning disability. The home can accommodate up to ten people. Northmead House provides a homely environment and bedrooms are for single occupancy. The home is staffed 24 hours a day.

This inspection took place on 21 May 2015 and was unannounced. The inspection was carried out by one inspector.

At the last inspection carried out on 6 November 2013 we did not identify any concerns with the care provided to people.

People had communication difficulties associated with their learning disability. Because of this we were only able to have very limited conversations with two people about their experiences. We therefore used our observations of care and our discussions with staff to help form our judgements.

There was a registered manager in post. 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 registered manager was not available for this inspection; however information sent to us prior to the inspection told us the registered manager had a clear vision for the service. This was also confirmed by the staff we spoke with.

The home was a safe place for people. They were able to take appropriate risks as part of their day to day lives. Staff understood people’s needs and provided the care and support they needed.

Some improvements were needed to ensure people’s legal rights were protected. Staff had a good understanding about the procedures to follow; however decisions about the use of bedrails and listening devices did not demonstrate discussions had taken place and their use had been agreed to be in the individuals’ best interests.

People’s healthcare needs were met and they received their medicines when they needed them.

People were cared for by staff who had been appropriately trained. Staff were positive about the training and support they received. The provider only employed staff who were suitable to work with vulnerable people. This helped to minimise risks to people who were staying at the home.

People, and those close to them, were involved in planning and reviewing their care and support. There was a close relationship and good communication with people’s relatives.

Routines in the home were flexible and were based around the needs and preferences of the people who lived there. People were able to plan their day with staff and they were supported to access a range of social and leisure activities in the home and local community.

There were systems in place to monitor health and safety and the quality of the service provided to people.