07/05/2014
During a routine inspection
Wallfield is a care home for up to 14 adults with learning disabilities. Two beds are used for respite services and 12 for permanent placements. On the day of our inspection visit there were twelve people living at the home and no people receiving respite care. There was a registered manager in post who was present for part of the inspection. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to manage the service and has the legal responsibility for meeting the requirements of the law like the provider. The registered manager is also referred to as ‘the manager’ throughout this report.
People told us they were happy living at the home and they felt the staff met their needs and were kind and caring. Staff knew people well and were able to communicate with people in a range of ways depending on people’s needs.
There were up to date and relevant care plans in place for people that reflected their individual needs. People were actively involved in care planning and in all decisions about their care. The home’s staff involved other professionals, families and advocates where appropriate. We saw that staff understood people’s care and support needs, were interactive, kind and friendly towards them and treated people with dignity and respect.
A range of activities were offered to people either in groups or on an individual basis. People were given the opportunity to provide feedback on the activities and were happy with the range of activities provided. Staff were skilled at communicating with people who used non-verbal forms of communication so they could interpret which activities people enjoyed and whether or not they wanted to join in or repeat activities.
We found that staffing levels were adequate to meet people’s needs and the manager had an effective system in place to plan this in advance.
The home was meeting the requirements of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards. People’s human rights were properly recognised, respected and promoted. Staff had a good understanding of mental capacity and consent and how this affected people who lived there.
There were suitable procedures in place to ensure that medicines were stored, handled and administered safely.
The home was well run and there was an open culture in the home. Staff and people living in the home said they could speak to the manager if they had any concerns and felt involved in the running of the home.