Archived: The Wishing Well

The Wishing Well is one of eight small services operated by the provider which provide support and accommodation for people living with a learning disability. The service can accommodate up to six people. At the time of this inspection five people were living in the home.

There was no registered manager in post at the time of this inspection. 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.

At our previous inspection in March 2016 we found that the provider was in breach of one regulation of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) 2014 which related to the safety of recruitment processes. At this May and June 2017 inspection we found that improvements had been made and that robust systems were in place and being followed. This meant that the risks of employing people unsuitable for their role had been minimised. Consequently, the provider was no longer in breach of this regulation.

People living in the home were safe. Risks to their welfare were appropriately planned for and managed. Staff had a good understanding of safeguarding issues and what action they would need to take in the event any concerns arose. There were enough staff available to meet people’s needs. Staffing arrangements were determined by people’s needs and how they chose to spend their time. On the whole people’s medicines were managed appropriately, but a few minor discrepancies were found.

Staff received suitable and regular training and support. Specific training to enable staff to meet people’s individual health needs was arranged if required. People were supported to have maximum 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 appropriate support to maintain healthy nutrition and hydration and had access to healthcare professionals when necessary.

Staff were kind, caring and respected people’s right to privacy. People were enabled to live as independently as possible.

People received personalised care that met their individual needs and preferences. They were able to follow their individual interests and enjoyed a variety of activities and outings outside of the home. We saw that people were able to speak up when they there unhappy about something and staff responded appropriately. Relatives told us they knew how to complain and felt that they would be listened to.

The was a culture of openness in the service. Staff were valued and worked well together. We received positive comments about the leadership of the service. A robust quality assurance system was in place.

The service had been without a registered manager for over 18 months and had seen four changes of manager since the last registered manager had been in post. The provider needed to ensure that post holders applied for registration when they took up their role.

The Wishing Well is one of seven small services operated by the provider which provide support and accommodation for people living with a learning disability. The service can accommodate up to six people. At the time of this inspection five people were living in the home.

There was no registered manager employed in the service at the time of our inspection. 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 that there was a breach of regulations in relation to the recruitment of staff. Robust adherence to the systems in place had not been maintained. This meant that staff had not been appropriately vetted to help ensure that people were protected from the risk of abuse. You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of the report.

People were safe living in the home and were supported by staff that were knowledgeable about

safeguarding matters and took appropriate actions to keep people safe if incidents occurred. There were enough staff available to meet people's needs and to provide caring and individualised support. Medicine storage arrangements did not always ensure that people’s medicines were kept at a suitable temperature and remained safe and effective to use.

The provider had a training programme in place which ensured that staff received the necessary training to support people effectively. Staff understood and applied the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. People were involved in choosing and preparing their own meals. People who required specialised diets received them. People had good access to a wide range of health professionals who supported them with their health and provided guidance and support to staff.

Staff had developed friendly and supportive relationships with people living in the home. People were cared for and cared about. They were involved their care planning and could discuss this with staff whenever they wished, as well as during planned reviews. People’s privacy and dignity was upheld.

Comprehensive assessments were carried out prior to people moving into the home at which point their support plans were developed as staff got to know and understand people’s requirements in detail. However, some people had not always received planned monthly reviews.

People told us they would be confident to raise any concerns with staff if they had any and were confident that their concerns would be looked into thoroughly.

The service had been without a registered manager in post for nine months. However, an acting manager had recently been appointed. Three changes of manager in this period had resulted in some slippage of the management of the service. However, the operations manager knew what improvements needed to be made and had commenced work with the acting manager to implement the necessary changes.

We saw that people were supported to be involved in activities which interested them such as, taking walks and going to the pub. At the time of our inspection the person using this service was looking forward to being accompanied to the pub with their support worker.

Appropriate checks were undertaken before staff began their employment at this home.

Appropriate arrangements were in place in relation to obtaining and administering people's medication.

There was an effective complaints system available.