Archived: Ambleside

Updated 21 June 2016

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This inspection took place on 10 May 2016. The inspection was unannounced and was undertaken by one inspector.

We reviewed the information we held about the service, including statutory notifications that the provider had sent us. A statutory notification is information about important events which the provider is required to send us by law.

During this inspection we visited people in their shared home and spoke with two people who used the service and spoke with two relatives on the telephone. We also looked at care records and charts relating to three people. In total we spoke with three members of staff, including the registered manager and the provider. We looked at three records in relation to staff recruitment and training, as well as records related to the quality monitoring of the service.

Updated 21 June 2016

Ambleside provides personal care for up to four adults with learning disabilities and/or autism spectrum disorder in Northampton. At the time of our inspection there were four people using the service. This unannounced inspection took place on 10 May 2016.

There were two registered managers in post at the time of our inspection. 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.

One of the registered managers was the owner, and as a provider they had values and a clear vision that were person centred and focussed on people having the opportunity to be part of their local community and gain their independence. All staff and managers demonstrated passion and commitment to providing a service for people that met their individual needs.

People had beneficial relationships with staff. Relatives commented on the positive impact staff had made on people’s lives and how they had changed for the better. People’s lives had improved as a result of using the service; people were enabled to become more independent by gaining everyday life skills and understanding how to care for their health and well-being.

People were actively involved in decisions about their care and support needs. There were formal systems in place to assess people’s capacity for decision making under the Mental Capacity Act 2005. People were empowered to make their own decisions and to take responsibility for them. Staff provided people with information to enable them to make an informed decision and encouraged people to make their own choices.

People received safe care and support. Staff understood their role in safeguarding people and they knew how to report concerns. There were enough staff with the right skills and attitudes to meet people’s needs. The provider included people in the in-depth recruitment and selection of new staff.

People benefited from staff that had received training that specifically met their needs. Staff had a full understanding of people’s support needs and had the skills and knowledge to meet them. Training records were up to date and staff received regular supervisions and appraisals. Staff were clear about their roles and responsibilities in caring for people and received regular support from the provider.

There was a person centred and flexible approach to each person’s nutritional needs and staff promoted healthy eating. Individuals were supported to realise the knowledge and understanding they needed to attain a healthy weight, plan and prepare meals.

Care records contained risk assessments and risk management plans to protect people from identified risks and helped to keep them safe but also enabled positive risk taking. They gave information for staff on the identified risk and informed staff on the measures required to minimise any risks. Staff were vigilant regarding people’s changing health needs and sought guidance from relevant healthcare professionals.

Staff protected people’s privacy and dignity. All interactions between staff and people were caring and respectful; staff were consistently patient, kind and compassionate. Staff demonstrated affection and warmth in their contact with people, which was clearly reciprocated.

Staff were aware of the importance of managing complaints promptly and in line with the provider’s policy. Staff and people were confident that if they had any concerns they would be listened to and any concerns would be addressed.

People were involved in monitoring the quality and safety of the service and staff regularly monitored the support people received. People and staff were encouraged to provide feedback about the service and it was used to drive continuous improvement.