Archived: Bowden House

Bowden House provides care for people requiring support with mental health needs, substance misuse and/or learning disabilities. The service provides accommodation and care for up to 11 people. The service is set over three floors. Everyone has their own room and ensuite. At the time of the inspection nine people were living at the service.

People’s experience of using this service:

People we spoke with told us they felt safe. Safeguarding procedures were robust and staff understood how to safeguard people.

Individual risk assessments were completed for people so that identifiable risks were managed effectively.

Systems were in place to make sure managers and staff learn from events such as incidents, concerns and investigations.

People we spoke with didn’t express any concerns about the staffing levels at the service. There were enough staff to ensure people’s care and support needs were met.

There were robust recruitment procedures in place so people were cared for by suitably qualified staff who been assessed as safe to work with people.

The service had appropriate arrangements in place to manage medicines so people were protected from risks associated with medicines.

The service was clean and had a welcoming homely atmosphere.

People we spoke with told us they were satisfied with the quality of care they had received. People were supported by staff who knew them well. All the people we spoke with made very positive comments about the staff team and the general manager.

Staff had undertaken training which was regularly updated to ensure they had the skills and knowledge to support people effectively. Staff had received specialised training to meet the needs of people using the service. Staff told us they felt supported.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People were encouraged and supported to eat regular and balanced meals.

During the inspection we observed staff giving care and assistance to people. They were respectful and treated people in a caring and supportive way.

There was a range of activities on offer to people living at Bowden House. People were encouraged and supported to engage in activities within the community.

People we spoke with told us they knew who the general manager was and felt confident they could raise any concerns with them.

The registered manager and general manager had a good oversight of the service and were experienced in their role. Staff we spoke with made very positive comments about the staff team and the managers.

There were planned and regular checks completed at the service to check the quality and safety of the service provided.

Rating at last inspection:

At our last inspection Bowden House was rated good (report published 14 January 2017).

Why we inspected:

This inspection was part of our scheduled plan of visiting services to check the safety and quality of care people received.

Follow up:

We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received we may inspect sooner.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Bowden House provides accommodation and personal care for up to 11 people who may have a learning disability and/or enduring mental health needs. The service is located in a residential area in Sheffield and is set over three floors. Everyone had their own room. At the time of the inspection, there were 10 people living at the service.

The service is required to and did have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the 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.

Staff delivered support effectively and care was provided in a way that promoted people's wellbeing and independence, whilst people's safety was ensured. People were involved in writing their support plans and contributing to their risk assessments. Risks to people's safety had been assessed and staff managed risks in line with individual risk assessments. Support plans were regularly reviewed, detailed and organised.

People received their medicines at the right times from qualified staff who monitored people's health satisfactorily.

The registered provider had robust recruitment procedures which ensured, as far as possible, that only people suited to work at the service were employed. Enough staff were deployed to meet the needs of people who used the service and the registered provider was in the process of recruiting new staff. Staff received support through training, supervision and appraisal to be able to meet people’s needs. Additional training was arranged to teach staff how to support people who at times demonstrated behaviour that challenged others.

People told us they felt safe, were well looked after, happy and would inform staff if they were concerned about abuse. Staff knew what abuse was and they had completed safeguarding training, they told us they felt confident to discuss any safeguarding concerns with the general manager. Staff knew what action to take if they suspected abuse and who to report abuse to, such as the local authority safeguarding teams and the general manager.

All accidents and incidents were recorded and monitored by the general manager. The general manager looked for any patterns so they could take action to prevent further incidents.

Plans were in place for emergencies like a fire or a flood and staff knew what to do in the event of an emergency. Safety equipment, electrical appliances and gas safety were all checked regularly. There were regular fire drills and people knew how to leave the building safely.

People living at Bowden House had capacity to make decisions for themselves and staff sought people's consent before supporting them where required. Staff were aware of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005 and the principles if a person lacked capacity.

The CQC monitors the operation of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) which applies to care homes. These safeguards protect the rights of people using services by ensuring, if there are any restrictions to their freedom and liberty, these have been agreed by the local authority as being required to protect the person from harm. The service was meeting this requirement and there was no one under a DoLS authorisation. People were not restricted from doing what they wanted and went out into the community freely.

Staff respected people’s privacy and dignity. Staff were kind and respectful towards people ensuring privacy and independence was promoted. Staff understood their roles and people were supported in a person centred way. People were helped to identify their own interests and follow them with the assistance of staff if required. These activities took place independently or as part of a group within the service as well as in the community.

Support and advice was given to people to enable them to make informed choices about the food they consumed and purchases they made. Access to healthcare services was readily available to people and the service kept clear records of healthcare visits.

People's views had been gathered using effective systems. These included regular resident and staff meetings, direct interactions with people and the distribution of questionnaires to people and staff at the service. A complaints procedure was in place and has been used appropriately by the management.