The Care Quality Commission

Archived: Yew Trees

12 The Street, Kirby-le-Soken, Essex, CO13 0EE (01255) 850990

Provided and run by:
Mild Professional Homes Limited

Important: The provider of this service changed. See new profile

All Inspections

23 August 2012

During a routine inspection

Where people were unable to provide a verbal response or tell us verbally their

experiences, for example as a result of their limited verbal communication or poor

cognitive ability, we noted their non verbal cues and these indicated that people were

generally relaxed and comfortable and found their experience at Yew Trees to be positive.

People told us that they were involved in deciding which activities they do and that they felt well looked after. They said that staff are interested in them and help them to understand their care plans and they had a copy of the plan in their room.

People also told us they got lots of information about their care and treatment and were asked for their opinions. They had regular access to an advocate. They also felt supported to attend college and other activities and would be comfortable in speaking with staff if they were unhappy about anything.

Three people told us they were looking forward to going to the air show on the day of our visit.

People's needs were assessed and care and treatment was planned and delivered in line with their individual care plan.

People told us they were satisfied with the level of care and support they received

at Yew Trees.

People told us that they felt well looked after by the staff at Yew Trees. One person said "The staff are very kind and look after us well".

People told us they could choose whether or not to join in activities and could spend time alone in their room pursuing their own interests if they preferred.

We spoke with three people about the care and support they received at Yew Trees. They all told us that they liked living there; one person said that 'it's nicer than where I was before, they communicate with me and I am very happy here".

All of the people we spoke with knew about their care plans.

During the visit we observed staff as they helped people with everyday tasks; they were respectful and spoke appropriately.

People told us that they are happy at Yew Trees and that they are treated well. They are consulted by staff and feel looked after. They are happy with their medication. They all felt informed about their treatment and attended their Care programme approach (CPA) meetings. They are comfortable in raising any matters they are unhappy about.

We were told by some of the people of their trips and activities in the community and that they enjoy including shopping, theatre events an ice cream parlour and an air show. One person also has their own garden area which they enjoy spending time in.

The provider had taken reasonable steps to identify the possibility of abuse and prevent abuse from happening.

People told us that they felt happy at Yew Trees and that they are well looked after by staff. They said that they would feel comfortable in complaining or talking to staff or the advocate if they were concerned about anything.

One person told us "I feel very safe here."

The provider has taken steps to provide care in an environment that is suitably designed and adequately maintained

We used a number of different methods to help us understand the experiences of people using the service, and these indicated that people were generally relaxed and comfortable and found their experience at Yew Trees to be positive.

People told us that they were happy with their rooms and found them comfortable.

The provider took account of complaints and comments to improve the service.

People told us that there if they had any concerns they would make them known to the appropriate person. Most people told us that they felt comfortable talking with the staff about any issues that they had and that the manager was also always available for them to talk to. One person said "I don't know what I would do without the manager.

12, 13 December 2011

During a themed inspection looking at Learning Disability Services

There were ten people at Yew Trees when we visited. We met and introduced ourselves to all of the people using the service. We spoke to six people in greater depth to get their views of the service.

People using the service that we spoke with told us that it was nice place to live. One person said 'I would like to live here for ever, I like it here and have made lots of friends'. We were told about the activities people enjoy such as music, crafts, art, shopping, and about the annual fun day. We were also told about college courses that people went to including music, cookery and gentle exercise. One person told us they would prefer to live 'somewhere quieter'

People we spoke with knew they had a health action plan and told us that they visited the local doctor for check ups. They also told us they went to the local hospital (about five miles away) for blood tests and to see a dentist.

People we spoke with told us of things they would like to do such as more college courses, trips to see a band, birthday parties and a day trip to London, and two people told they hoped to move to another service soon.

They all knew about their care plan and three people told us they had their own copy and three of the four relatives told us they were fully involved in the care planning and reviews. The fourth person had less contact with staff but spoke to their family member three times a week.

People told us they get on well with the staff working in the service; one person told us that 'staff are good' another told us how one staff member made her 'feel good about herself and respected her by listening to her'. Another person told us how staff always look for, 'signs that I am not feeling well, for example if I am less chatty or withdrawn, and then they suggest ways to help me'.

We were told by the people we spoke with that they felt safe. We spoke about abuse with four of the people, three told us they would tell staff if anything happened to them, although one wasn't sure what the staff would do about it. One of the people we spoke with was unsure what to do if they saw someone else being abused.

27 April and 9 May 2011

During a routine inspection

People who use the service told us that they feel well looked after at Yew Trees. They said that staff are interested in them and help them to understand their care plans and that they kept a copy of the plan in their room. They told us they get lots of information about their care and treatment and are asked for their opinions; they participate in surveys and have regular access to an advocate. People told us they feel supported to attend college and do other activities and would be comfortable in speaking with staff if they were unhappy about anything. They said they are consulted before any treatments are given. People with whom we spoke said they think the food at Yew Trees is fairly good, but there were some dishes they did not like, but they have input into designing the menus and enjoy having a take away meal once per week. One person said they felt there were enough staff on duty but said that some outings can be postponed if the unit is short staffed. People also said they attended their care programme approach (CPA) meetings.

Mental Health Act Commissioner reports

Each year, we visit all NHS trusts and independent providers who care for people whose rights are restricted under the Mental Health Act to monitor the care they provide and check that patients' rights are met. Immediate concerns raised by patients on those visits are discussed, if appropriate, with hospital staff.

Our Mental Health Act Commissioners may carry out a number of visits to each provider over a 12-month period, during which they talk to detained patients, staff and managers about how services are provided. In the past, we summarised themes from the visits and published an annual statement followed by the provider's response where applicable. We are looking at different ways to indicate the outcomes of our monitoring in the future.