Archived: Southampton Way

Updated 18 February 2015

We carried out this inspection 3 November 2014 under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. It was unannounced and carried out by one inspector. This inspection checked 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.

Before the inspection we reviewed the statutory notifications we had received from the provider about incidents at the service. During the inspection we spoke with two people who use the service, the manager and two members of staff. We read information about the operation of the service and quality monitoring information.

We looked at three people’s care records and their medication administration records. We reviewed two staff records which included information on recruitment, induction and training. We read reports undertaken by the provider on the quality of the service. After the inspection we spoke with a health professional from the Community Mental Health Team (CMHT) who was in regular contact with people using the service to obtain their view of it.

Updated 18 February 2015

This unannounced inspection took place on 3 November 2014. The service was last inspected on 10 December 2013 when we found it met all the regulations we checked at that time.

The service provides care and accommodation for 13 people with mental health needs. Twelve people were using the service when we inspected it. Each person has their own bedsitter accommodation, which includes a bathroom and kitchen facilities. Downstairs the building has a large living/dining room, a kitchen and a staff office. At the time of the inspection, some people were independent and required minimal support from staff, for example, they prepared their own meals. Other people’s needs were more complex and they required more support from staff to prevent a relapse of their mental health condition and to improve their quality of life.

At the time of the inspection the service did not have a registered manager in post but had a manager who was responsible for the day to day operation of the service. This person had been in post for three weeks prior to the inspection. The service should have a registered manager. This 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 provider advised us on 1 December 2014 they do not intend to seek a registered manager for the service as they have plans for major changes to the service from April 2015. Consequently, we are not taking action to ensure the provider appoints a registered manager.

People told us they were happy with the service and liked the staff who they said were caring and helpful. However, we found people were not protected from the risks of poorly maintained premises. Repairs to the premises were not carried out promptly and a number of required improvements to the decor and furnishings had been identified by the current manager of the service.

People did not always receive their medicines safely as prescribed. The provider had a system to audit the quality of the service but had not ensured action was taken to improve the service when problems were identified. Staff had not always accurately recorded whether people had received their medicines or not. A health professional told us the service had a proven track record of promoting people’s health and worked openly and constructively with the Community Mental Health Team. However, full information about some people’s individual needs and interests had not been obtained. Staff could not therefore effectively engage them in activities that met their needs and interests.

We found a number of breaches of the regulations of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2010 and the action we have asked the provider to take is detailed at the back of this report.