A single inspector carried out this inspection. The focus of the inspection was to answer five key questions; is the service safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led? Below is a summary of what we found. The summary describes what people using the service and their relatives told us, the records we looked at and what staff we spoke with also told us.
If you would like to see the evidence that supports our summary then please read the full report.
Is the service safe?
Flat B 291 Harrow Road is a registered care home for people with learning disabilities. There were four people living at the home at the time of our visit. We looked at two care records and saw that these contained a variety of risk assessments which included those in relation to the environment, personal care and fire safety.
The service had a safeguarding policy and procedure in place. All staff we spoke with were aware of their responsibilities to report any concerns they had about potential safeguarding issues and were able to describe potential signs of abuse.
Appropriate checks were undertaken before staff began work. All staff were required to undergo a Disclosure and Barring Service check (previously a Criminal Records Bureau check) before commencing employment.
There were arrangements in place to deal with foreseeable emergencies. All staff had received first aid training which was repeated annually. There was a policy in place for dealing with accidents and incidents and we were told that a senior staff member was always on call in case of an emergency. We spoke with three members of staff and each person correctly explained the policy for handling an accident or incident.
Is the service effective?
Before people received any care or treatment they were asked for their consent and the provider acted in accordance with their wishes. We spoke with two members of staff about how they obtained consent from people using the service on a daily basis. We were given detailed examples of the routines of each person as well as the general likes and dislikes of people.
CQC monitors the operation of the Deprivation of Liberty safeguards which applies to care homes. Staff were aware of the policies and procedures relating to the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards and understood when an application should be made and how to submit one. No applications had been submitted at the time of our visit.
Is the service caring?
We spoke with two family members on the day of our visit. Both made positive comments about the care given to their relatives. We carried out observations using the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI) and observed positive interactions between staff and people using the service.
There were a range of activities available for people who used the service. This included an art group, going out to the park and pampering sessions for example massage.
Is the service responsive?
Staff told us that they organised resident's meetings where issues such as the range of activities, food choices, the home environment, staffing and well-being were addressed.
Is the service well-led?
The service had a registered manager in post. Staff we spoke with told us that the manager operated an open door policy.
Staff meetings took place every month and a separate residents meeting took place once a month. We saw that an annual audit took place every year and monthly compliance audits were also conducted.