13 December 2016
During a routine inspection
There was a registered manager who had been in post for over a year. 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.
Staff were trained in how to protect people from abuse and harm. They were aware of the procedures to follow in case of abuse or suspicion of abuse.
Risk assessments were centred on the needs of the individual. They included clear measures to reduce identified risks and guidance for staff to follow to make sure people were protected from harm. There was a system in place to record and monitor accidents and incidents to identify how risks of re-occurrence could be reduced.
There were enough qualified, skilled and experienced staff to meet people's needs. Staffing levels were calculated according to people’s changing needs and ensured continuity of one to one support. Thorough recruitment practice was followed to ensure staff were suitable for their role.
Records relevant to the administration or the prompting of medicines were monitored. This ensured medicines were taken by people safely according to their individual needs.
Staff knew each person well and understood how to meet their support needs. Each person’s needs and personal preferences had been assessed before any support was provided. This ensured that staff could support people in a way that met their particular needs and wishes.
Staff had received all training relevant to their role and had the opportunity to receive further training specific to the needs of the people they supported. They received regular one to one supervision sessions to support them in their role.
Staff were trained in the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and were knowledgeable about the requirements of the legislation. A system was in place to assess people’s mental capacity about specific decisions when appropriate.
Staff sought and obtained people’s consent before they provided support. Staff promoted people’s independence and encouraged them to do as much as possible for themselves.
Staff used inclusive methods of communication. Relatives told us that staff communicated effectively with people, responded to their needs promptly and treated them with kindness and respect. Relatives told us that people were satisfied with how their support was provided. Clear information about the service, the management, and how to complain was provided to people.
People’s individual support plans included their likes and dislikes; they reflected how people wanted their support to be delivered. People’s support plans were reviewed regularly with their participation or their representatives’ involvement. They were updated when people’s needs changed to make sure they received the support they needed.
The provider took account of people’s comments and suggestions. People’s views were sought and acted upon. The provider sent questionnaires regularly to people, analysed the results and action was taken in response to people’s views.
Staff told us they felt valued and supported under the manager’s leadership. The manager notified the Care Quality Commission of any significant events that affected people or the service. Comprehensive quality assurance checks were carried out to identify how the service could improve and action was taken to implement improvements.