Archived: Station Avenue

Updated 14 December 2016

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 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 18 October 2016 and was unannounced. The inspection was carried out by one inspector.

We spoke with the three people who lived in the home and spent time observing how they were cared for and how staff interacted with them so that we could get a view of the care they received. We also spoke with one relative. We spoke with three care staff on duty and the registered manager.

We looked at information received from statutory notifications the provider had sent us. A statutory notification is information about important events which the provider is required to send us by law. We looked at information received from commissioners of the service. Commissioners are people who work to find appropriate care and support services which are paid for by the local authority. There was no information of concern reported.

We looked at the provider information return (PIR) forwarded to us prior to our inspection visit. This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

We reviewed two people’s care records to identify their needs and how they were being supported by staff. We looked at records of checks carried out by the registered manager and provider to assure themselves the environment was safe and that a quality service was provided to people.

Updated 14 December 2016

The inspection took place on 18 October 2016 and was unannounced.

Selborne Care Limited is a large provider of care services. 21a Station Avenue provides accommodation, personal care and support for up to three people who can be people with learning disabilities, mental health needs or younger adults. There were three younger adults with mental health needs living at the home on the day of our inspection visit.

There was a registered manager in post. 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.

Staff understood their responsibilities to keep people safe and protect them from harm. Staff followed policies and procedures so that they were aware of how to respond to any safeguarding concerns they identified. Risks associated with people’s care had been assessed in order to keep people safe. Staff were trained to manage risks that could present a risk of harm or injury to people or others.

The number of staff on duty had been arranged in accordance with the support needs of people at the home. People told us they received the support they needed and we saw there were sufficient staff on duty to meet people’s needs.

People were supported with the administration of their prescribed medicines. Staff had completed training in the safe handling, administering and recording of people’s medicines to make sure this was done in accordance with safe practice.

People had been involved in planning their care and in decisions about how their support should be provided. Each person had a care plan that staff used to support them in accordance with their needs and preferences.

Staff had completed training on an ongoing basis to refresh their skills and knowledge to carry out their role effectively. New staff commenced induction training to provide them with the essential skills and knowledge to support people safely. Staff had regular supervision meetings with the registered manager where any training needs and issues relating to their role were discussed.

The registered manager and staff understood their responsibility to comply with the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act (2005) and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). Health care professionals were involved in people’s care and support and regular reviews of people’s care were undertaken to ensure the care provided continued to meet people’s needs.

People were involved in menu planning and had choices about the food and drink provided. People were involved in decisions about how they spent their day and staff were available to support them in their preferred activity whether this be in or outside of the home. We saw people enjoying activities of their choice during our visit.

Staff knew about people’s individual needs and preferences and how to support them so that they did not become anxious. Staff promoted people’s independence whenever possible, and were kind and respectful towards people. People had regular meetings with staff so that they could talk about activities they would like to do and any issues relating to their day to day care they might have.

Staff told us they felt supported by the registered manager and by each other and were positive in their comments of working at the home. Staff were given opportunities to make suggestions about how the service was run during meetings with the registered manager.

The provider carried out regular quality checks to make sure the environment was safe for people and people received care and support that was person centred and responsive to their needs. People told us they felt they could raise concerns or complaints with the registered manager if they needed to and knew the registered manager’s contact details so they could contact them at any time.