Riverbank

Updated 8 November 2019

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by one inspector on both days of the inspection.

Service and service type

Riverbank is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced on the first day of the inspection and announced on the second day.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information available to us about this service. This included details about incidents the provider must notify us about, such as abuse. We sought feedback from the local authority. The provider sent us a provider information return prior to the inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with the regional manager, the registered manager, two registered nurses, the health and safety lead, a senior support worker and a support worker. We spoke with a visiting social care professional and three people using the service. We also handed out brief questionnaires to people using the service and staff, thirteen of these were completed and returned on the first day of inspection.

We looked at three people's care records in full. We also looked at two people's medication administration records and a selection of documentation about the management and running of the service. We reviewed recruitment information for three members of staff, staff training records, policies and procedures and records of complaints.

After the inspection

We looked at staffing rotas.

Updated 8 November 2019

About the service:

Riverbank is a care home providing personal care for up to 24 people with complex mental health needs. The service also provides 12 independent flats attached to the service where people are supported by staff. At the time of our inspection there were 22 people receiving a service and a further 11 people living in the supported flats.

People's experience of using this service:

We received positive views from people using the service, people told us they were well supported by the staff and managers. Staff we spoke with were enthusiastic about their work and felt well supported and valued by the management. We observed people and staff had developed good and caring relationships built on trust and mutual respect.

There was a friendly atmosphere in the home and staff supported people in a kind and caring way that took account of their individual needs and preferences. People were supported to express their views and be involved in making decisions about their care and support.

There were systems and processes in place to protect people from harm, including how medicines were managed. Staff were trained in how to recognise and respond to abuse and understood their responsibility to report any concerns to the management team.

Safe recruitment practices were followed, and appropriate checks had been undertaken, which made sure only suitable staff were employed to care for people in the home. There were sufficient numbers of experienced staff to meet people's needs.

Staff were supported to provide appropriate care to people because they were trained, supervised and appraised. There was an induction, training and development programme, which supported staff to gain relevant knowledge and skills.

People were supported to have choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People received regular and on-going health checks and support to attend appointments. They were supported to eat and drink enough to meet their needs and to make informed choices about what they ate.

The service was responsive to people's needs and staff listened to what they said. Staff were prompt to raise issues about people's health and people were referred to health professionals when needed.

The building was adapted to meet people's needs and people had access to outside space.

People could be confident that any concerns or complaints they raised would be dealt with. The registered manager was promoting an open, empowering and inclusive culture within the service. There were a range of systems in place to assess and monitor the quality and safety of the service and to ensure people were receiving appropriate support.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was good (published 24 March 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.