This inspection took place on the 15 December 2016 and was unannounced. Canterbury Adult Support Unit is registered to provide accommodation and personal care for up to five people. It is a respite service, offering overnight stays for people with learning disabilities, who usually live with family members or carers. The service also provides day services and people who use the respite service can choose to use these day services. At the time of the inspection there were four people staying at the service. Canterbury Adult Support Unit was last inspected on 7 May 2014 where one area of concern had been identified relating to the recruitment of staff. The service was re-inspected on 14 August 2014 where recruitment was no longer a concern.Downstairs there was a kitchen, dining room, lounge, one bedroom, a bathroom and a games room. Upstairs there were more bedrooms, and bathrooms. There was a garden to the rear of the service with seating which people could access freely. People using the service had a range of physical and learning disabilities. Some people were living with autism and some required support with behaviours that challenged.
The service had a registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who is registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) 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 present throughout the inspection.
Some care plans needed to be further developed so staff had more detailed information about people. Staff could demonstrate a good knowledge and understanding or people’s individual needs, meaning the impact this had on people was minimal. However, if new staff were employed they would be reliant on other staff to guide some of their practice. Other parts of the care plans were detailed and informative.
The registered manager had not always kept detailed records in regards to checking new staffs competency or the action they had taken when given feedback about how the service could improve.
There were enough staff with the right skills and knowledge to support people. They had good support and supervision to fulfil their roles effectively and felt well supported by the registered manager and other staff. People were protected by the service using safe and robust recruitment processes. Staff said that the morale in the service was high. Staff understood the aims and values of the service and demonstrated they cared about the people that used the service.
There were safe processes for storing and administering medicines. Medicines were administered by trained staff and were regularly audited to ensure errors were identified quickly.
Accidents and incidents were recorded and audited to identify patterns and the registered manager used this as an opportunity to learn and improve outcomes for people. The risk of harm to people was reduced as risk assessments had been implemented.
Appropriate checks were made to keep people safe. Safety checks had been made regularly on equipment and the environment.
Staff were trained in safeguarding and understood the processes for reporting abuse or suspected abuse. They were aware of the procedures for whistle blowing and felt confident in raising any concerns.
People's healthcare needs were managed well. If people became unwell when using the service staff supported them to attend a nearby medical walk in centre or took them to their usual doctor’s surgery.
People had choice around their food and drinks and staff encouraged them to make their own decisions and choices.
The registered manager demonstrated a clear understanding of the process that must be followed if people were deemed to lack capacity to make their own decisions and the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005. They ensured people’s rights were protected by meeting the requirements of the Act.
Staff had appropriate training and experience to support people with their individual needs and demonstrated a good understanding of people. Staff received supervision and appraisal to support the development of their role.
Staff demonstrated caring attitudes towards people. People felt confident and comfortable in the service and staff were easily approachable. Interactions between people and staff were positive and encouraged engagement.
The registered manager listened to and responded to complaints. People could access an easy read version of the complaints procedure if they had any concerns about the care and treatment they received.
The provider strived to continually improve the service to improve the lives of the people living there. They conducted their own internal audits and quality assurance checks so improvement was driven.