Archived: Dimensions 8 Queens View Crescent

Updated 18 March 2015

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 registered 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.

The inspection took place on 13 February 2015 and was unannounced. The inspection team consisted of one adult social care inspector.

Before the inspection, we asked the registered provider to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the registered provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

During the inspection we observed how staff interacted with people who used the service. We spoke with one person who used the service and three people’s relatives. We spoke with the registered manager and three care support workers. We also received information from a social worker who visited the service.

We looked at three care files which belonged to people who used the service. We also looked at other important documentation relating to the five people who used the service such as their medication administration records (MARs). We looked at how the service used the Mental Capacity Act 2005 to ensure that when people were assessed as lacking capacity to make their own decisions, best interest meetings were held in order to make important decisions on their behalf.

We looked at a selection of documentation relating to the management and running of the service. These included two staff recruitment files, training records, the staff rota, minutes of meetings with staff and those with people who used the service, quality assurance audits and maintenance of equipment records.

Updated 18 March 2015

This unannounced inspection took place on 13 February 2015. At the last inspection on16 July 2013, the registered provider was compliant with all the regulations we assessed.

Dimensions 8 Queens View Crescent is a purpose built single storey home for up to six people with a learning disability. It is situated in a residential setting and close to local facilities. The home has six single bedrooms, a bathroom, a kitchen, a laundry and a large lounge/dining room. There is a garden at the rear of the property and car parking at the front. At the time of the inspection there were five people living in the home.

The registered provider is required to have a registered manager in post at Dimensions 8 Queens View Crescent. We found the manager had been registered with the Care Quality Commission since 30 January 2012. 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.

We found people lived in a safe environment where equipment was serviced and safety checks were carried out. Risk assessments were completed to help minimise risk in specific circumstances such as when supporting people in the community or with day to day support within the home.

There were policies and procedures in place to guide staff and training for them in how to keep people safe from the risk of harm and abuse. In discussions, staff were clear about how they protected people from the risk of abuse.

There was a good recruitment system in place, which meant checks were carried out before new members of staff could start work at the service. There were sufficient staff on duty day and night to meet people’s needs. There were additional staff on specific days to support people with activities outside the service. We found the staff approaches to be caring and friendly. People told us they liked the staff that supported them and we could see they had been helped to maintain important relationships with their family.

People had their health and social care needs assessed and personalised support plans were developed to guide staff in how to care for people who used the service using the least restrictive options. People received their medicines as prescribed and had access to a range of professionals for advice, treatment and support.

People’s nutritional needs were met. Staff monitored people’s food and fluid intake and took action when there were any concerns. People were supported to shop for food supplies and some people were assisted to prepare meals.

People who used the service were encouraged to make their own decisions. Staff followed the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 when there were concerns people lacked capacity and important decisions needed to be made.

People accessed a range of community facilities and also completed activities with the service. They were encouraged to follow hobbies, social interests and to take holidays.

There was a range of training and support systems in place to ensure staff were knowledgeable and skilled in supporting people who used the service.

There were systems in place to monitor the quality of the service, such as observations of staff practices, audits and surveys. There was a complaints policy and procedure and people told us they felt able to complain and raise concerns.

Information about the services provided to people was all written in easy read format. This helped to make the information accessible to people.