Archived: 16 Homeside Close

At the time of the inspection, there was 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.

Since transitional registration under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 on 21 January 2011, 16 Homeside Close has maintained compliance with the relevant regulations at each inspection by CQC. The most recent inspection was a routine planned visit on 14 January 2014. This inspection checked five outcomes, all of which were compliant. The previous inspection was also a routine planned visit on 4 March 2013. The inspection checked five outcomes, all of which were again compliant. This inspection is the first visit under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 and the first rating under the Care Act 2014.

Risks for people were assessed, mitigated, documented and reviewed. Appropriate records were kept and readily available to demonstrate this to us at the inspection. We found some duplication across the two folders used by care workers for each person. The management of the care documentation required some improvement. This was to make it clearer to find people’s important information when needed.

Proper maintenance of the premises and grounds was not evident. Repairs and maintenance were completed by an external contractor and sometimes the service incurred delays occurred whilst waiting for their attendance. Staff and management complained that the maintenance system was having an impact on the people who lived at the service. We found premises, grounds and equipment risks were mostly assessed. However, some risks were completely disregarded and were not considered, documented or mitigated. Some maintenance that required regular review or updates was overdue. The management of the maintenance was fragmented and communication between the service and contractor was not satisfactory. This put people at risk because the service could not be sure that the building, grounds and equipment were always safe.

Enough staff were deployed during shifts to ensure people’s safety. Care workers we spoke with were satisfied that there were sufficient staff and that they did not place people at risk when they were busy. Our observations showed that the service was busy at times, but overall calm and relaxed and staff were dedicated to the people they supported.

We looked at a personnel file to check staff that cared for people were fit and proper. The provider’s human resources team assisted the registered manager with new applicant background checks. We found the service had strong recruitment and selection procedures that ensured suitable, experienced applicants were offered and accepted employment. A high percentage of staff had long periods of service for the provider. A small number of new staff were recruited when others left the service. Personnel files contained all of the necessary information required by the regulations and no documents or checks were missing. We found this included criminal history checks via the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS), checks of previous conduct in other roles, and proof of identification. We also checked the staff’s legal rights to work in the UK.

Medicines were safely managed. We examined the handling of people’s medicines during our inspection and found that people were safe from harm. Storage of medicines and the management of room and refrigerator temperature checking and recording required review.

At the inspection, it was not possible to obtain information about staff training. We asked the service to send this to us afterwards, and reviewed the data they provided. Staff training was conducted, however required some improvement in attendance and overall management. We noted an inappropriate number of staff had completed training in the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). This had resulted in staff we spoke with having limited knowledge of how this legislation was used in the support of people who used the service. Staff supervisions and performance appraisals were effective.

The service was not compliant with the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). The recording of consent and best interest decision meant the service did not comply with the MCA Codes of Practice. There was some confusion at the service regarding people’s applications, reviews and expiry dates for standard DoLS authorisations.

People received nutritious food which they enjoyed. Hydration was offered to people to ensure they did not become dehydrated. Snacks and treats were available if people wanted or chose to have them. People assisted with shopping and cooking and had the right to choose their own meals. We found the kitchen required more comprehensive cleaning to ensure the safety of people.

The found the service was caring. We observed staff were warm and friendly. As staff had worked with most people over an extended period of time, they had come to know each person well. Many of the people who used the service had lived there for long periods of time. This reflected in the care that people received from staff. The environment was maintained as a house rather than a care facility.

Personalisation of bedrooms and communal areas was evident. External agencies we spoke with, such as commissioners, praised the service when we asked. We found people had the right to choose or refuse care or activities and this was respected by staff. People led the life they chose to and this was not changed by anyone at the service. We saw people’s privacy and dignity was respected at all times.

People were involved in the service in a number of ways and attended a wide variety of activities and events. This included the planning of social activities as well as normal functions of running the service.

Responsive care was provided to people. Their wishes, preferences, likes and dislikes were considered and accommodated. Staff knew about the complaints procedure and people had the ability to complain. There were no complaints since our last inspection, although the management had the knowledge and skills to investigate if a complaint was raised.

The workplace culture at 16 Homeside Close was good. Staff described a positive place to work and care for people. Staff told us they enjoyed their roles and found management approachable and reasonable. Insufficient audits of the service were conducted to check the quality of the care. The service required more input and oversight of its day-to-day running and the care of people.

The people we spoke with told us staff helped them with personal care and supported them to participate in group visits and activities. For example, one person told us, “I like going to the shops each week and visiting my mother every week.”

Two care workers told us they had been provided with appropriate training courses, one of which was safeguarding training, which they had both completed in the last twelve months to support them to recognise different types of abuse and understand what their duties and responsibilities were with regards to safeguarding vulnerable adults.

The people who use the service told us they felt safe in the house because the staff were always on hand to provide guidance and support. Two people we spoke with expressed a clear understanding of the complaints procedures in operation in the house, and expressed that they knew how to raise concerns with staff if they had any issues.

At 16 Homeside Close we found a programme of care that clearly supported individual's with their needs, from the point at which there were referred to the service. This care programme ensured that people who used the service were protected from the risk of abuse.

All the evidence collected about staffing demonstrated that there were enough qualified, skilled and experienced staff to meet people’s needs.

From the evidence collated it was also clear that people who used the service and staff were asked for their views about their care and treatment and they were acted upon. In addition there was a clear system in place to assess and monitor the quality of the service provided which included internal inspections against the CQC outcomes by a service manager.