10 February 2016
During a routine inspection
At the time of our inspection the service had not had a registered manager in place since November 2015. 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run. The manager in post was in the process of applying for registration with us.
Staffing levels at particular times in the day were not always sufficient to support people’s needs. Some information in some people’s care plans was incomplete this had the potential to impact on the care people received.
People were protected from the risk of abuse and staff had a good understanding of their roles and responsibilities if they suspected abuse was happening. The manager shared information with the local authority when needed.
People received their medicines as prescribed and the management of medicines was safe.
People were encouraged to make independent decisions and staff were aware of legislation to protect people who lacked capacity when decisions were made in their best interests. We also found staff were aware of and worked within the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and had not deprived people of their liberty without applying for the required authorisation.
People were protected from the risks of inadequate nutrition. Specialist diets were provided if needed. Referrals were made to health care professionals when needed.
People were treated in a caring and respectful manner and staff delivered support in a relaxed and considerate manner. They, or their representatives, were encouraged to contribute to the planning of their care.
People who used the service, or their representatives, were encouraged to be involved in decisions and systems were in place to monitor the quality of service provision. People also felt they could report any concerns to the management team and felt they would be taken seriously.