Archived: Woodvale Avenue

Updated 26 April 2018

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection checked 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.

Before the inspection we looked at all the information we had about the service. This information included the statutory notifications that the provider had sent to CQC. A notification is information about significant events which the service is required to send us by law. In addition, we reviewed the Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asked the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service did well and improvements they planned to make. We also sent questionnaires to people using the service, their relatives, staff and professionals to gather their views on the service. We received responses from two people who used the service, three staff and no relatives, friends or professionals. We reviewed all responses received as part of our inspection planning.

We visited the service on 8 March 2018. Our inspection was announced and carried out by one inspector.

On the day of our visit we spoke three people using the service and one relative. We also spoke with the manager, deputy manager and one care worker. We looked at care records for two people, staff files for three staff members, medicines records for two people and other records relating to the running of the service.

After the inspection we contacted two health and social care professionals to gather their feedback and we received one response.

Updated 26 April 2018

Care Management Group - Woodvale Avenue is a supported living service. Supported living services are where people live in their own home and receive care and/or support in order to promote their independence. The service provides support to four young adults males with a learning disability. Some people using the service also had mental health issues. There were three people using the service at the time of our inspection. This was our first inspection of the service since it registered with us in November 2016.

There was no registered manager 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. The manager registered with us had left the service and a new manager was in post. The new manager had submitted their application to register with us and told us the provider would send an application to remove the registration of the manager who was no longer in post.

The manager understood their role and responsibilities, as did staff. Leadership was visible across the service with both the manager and deputy manager.

The provider had systems to protect people from abuse and neglect and to respond to allegations to abuse. The provider also had processes to learn and improve when things went wrong, including monthly safeguarding meetings to share learning from any safeguarding investigations across the organisation.

Risks relating to people’s care were reduced. The provider had robust risk assessment processes to manage risks and staff knew the support people required in reducing risks relating to their care. People’s medicines were managed safely by staff.

The providers’ recruitment processes checked staff were suitable to work with people. There were enough staff to care for people. Staff received appropriate induction, training, supervision and appraisal to help them understand how to support for people.

People’s needs and preferences were assessed by the provider before they began receiving care and on-going. People were supported to live healthy lives and received food and drink of their choice. People received care in line with the Mental Capacity Act 2005.

People were positive about the staff who supported them and staff understood their needs and personalities. People were supported to maintain their independence. Staff maintained people’s dignity and treated them with respect.

People were supported to spend their time meaningfully and to maintain relationships with people who were important to them.

People’s care plans were sufficiently detailed to inform staff about people’s needs and to guide staff in caring for them.

Although the service had received no complaints in the past year the complaints process was suitable and the provider had robust processes to investigate any complaints.

The provider celebrated success with staff and people through a variety of award ceremonies.

The provider had systems to assess, monitor and improve the service. In addition the provider had systems to openly communicate with, and gather feedback from, people and staff.