Archived: Castle Green

' Is the service caring?

' Is the service responsive?

' Is the service safe?

' Is the service effective?

' Is the service well led?

Below is a summary of what we found. The summary is based on our observations during the inspection, speaking with people using the service and the staff supporting them, and from looking at records.

If you want to see the evidence supporting our summary please read the full report.

Is the service safe?

Staff completed risk assessments if they had concerns about people's needs. These made sure staff had guidance in how to minimise risks and keep people safe.

People were treated with respect and dignity by the staff. People told us they felt safe. They said, 'It's a really nice place; I like living here' and 'Of course I feel safe; I am happy living here and living here is keeping me safe.' There were safeguarding procedures in place and staff had received training in how to safeguard people from abuse.

The staff managed medicines well and made sure people received their medicines as prescribed.

The manager set the staff rotas; they took people's care needs into account when making decisions about the numbers, qualifications, skills and experience required.

People told us they were happy with the care and support they received and we observed staff speak to people in a kind and patient way.

Is the service effective?

People spoken with told us they were provided with information and choices regarding their daily lives and that staff respected their decisions. They said staff gained their consent prior to providing care and support to them. One person said, 'Yes, they ask me, no-one tells me what to do.'

People were involved in planning their care and they saw a range of health and social care professionals for advice, support and treatment. Some people had behaviours that were challenging to the service. We found people had plans of care to guide staff when managing these behaviours, which helped to promote their health and welfare.

Is the service caring?

People were supported by kind and patient staff. We observed staff speak to people in a friendly way and give them encouragement and support. People spoken with said, 'They help me when I'm out and when I'm in my room', 'The staff and the manager are really nice', 'They are all my favourites' and 'They are real nice.'

People who used the service had meetings and one to one chats with staff so they could express their views about their care and support. They said, 'Yes I do trust staff, they are all nice.'

Is the service responsive?

We saw that people regularly completed a range of activities in and outside the service. Some people had work experience in one of the other services on the site and they were supported to attend college. The service had a minibus which enabled people to access local community facilities.

Care files showed that people's likes, dislikes and preferred routines were recorded and we saw these were respected by staff. We saw that people's care needs were kept under review and care plans were updated when required.

People knew how to make a complaint if they were unhappy and they named specific staff they would speak with if they had concerns.

Is the service well-led?

Staff told us they were well supported by management and had access to supervision meetings, training and appraisal. They confirmed they were able to express their views about the service and they were listened to. Staff said, 'We have a good manager; I feel very supported here' and 'The training is great; there are plenty of courses.'

There was a quality assurance programme, which included surveys and audits of the quality of service provided to people.

People made positive comments about the service and the staff team. These included, 'Since she has been here she has been happy. She has a different quality of life and they have got her doing things', 'The food is nice and I get to choose what I want', 'They help me to make sure I get a bath and get dressed' and 'The staff are brilliant.'

We found people's needs were assessed and care plans were produced to guide staff in how to support them.

We found there were systems in place such as staff training and policies and procedures to help safeguard vulnerable people from the risk of abuse.

We found there were recruitment and selection processes in place that helped to ensure only appropriate people worked in the home.

We found staff completed training relevant to their role, received formal supervision and were supported by management. This ensured staff had the opportunity to develop their knowledge and skills.

We found quality monitoring took place which included seeking people's views and carrying out checks on the environment and systems within the home. This enabled shortfalls to be identified and improvements to be made.