This announced inspection took place on 7 June 2016. We last inspected this service in April 2014. At that inspection we found the service was meeting all of the regulations we assessed.Allswell Lodge provides accommodation for up to five people who require personal care and support on a daily basis in a care home setting. The home specialises in caring for adults with a learning disability. At the time of our visit, there were three people using the service full time and two people using the service for respite care at the weekends.
The home had a registered manager at the time of the inspection.. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) 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.
People were safe at the home. The provider took appropriate steps to protect people from abuse, neglect or harm. Training records showed staff had received training in safeguarding adults at risk of harm. Staff understood what constituted abuse and the action they would take to protect people if they had a concern.
Risks were managed so that people were protected and supported in a non-restrictive way. We saw that risk assessments and support plans were appropriate to meet people’s needs. Where risks were identified, risk management plans were in place. We saw that regular checks of maintenance and service records were conducted. This helped to keep people and the environment safe.
We observed there were sufficient numbers of qualified staff to support people and to meet their individual needs. We saw that the provider’s recruitment process helped to ensure that staff were suitable to work with people using the service.
People were supported by staff to take their medicines when they needed them and records were kept of medicines taken. Medicines were stored securely and staff received annual medicines training to ensure that medicines administration was managed safely.
Staff had the skills, experiences and a good understanding of how to meet people’s needs. Staff spoke about the training they had received and how it had helped them to understand the needs of people they cared for.
The service had taken appropriate action to ensure the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) were followed. DoLS authorisations were in place to protect people where they did not have capacity to make decisions and where it was deemed necessary to restrict their freedom in some way, to protect themselves or others. We saw that each person’s mental capacity in respect of this decision had been assessed and the provider had applied to the local authority to verify their findings. Each person had a time specific DoLS authorisation and this was clearly displayed in the person’s care plan.
Detailed records of the support people received were kept. People had access to healthcare professionals when they needed them. People were supported to eat and drink appropriate amounts to meet their needs.
People were supported by caring staff and we observed people were relaxed with staff who knew and supported them. We saw that people had the privacy they needed and they were treated with dignity and respect at all times.
The provider had arrangements in place to respond appropriately to people’s concerns and complaints.
We saw clear evidence of a person-centred approach that was taken towards a person’s individual needs. Records showed and we saw that people’s complex needs and behaviours were managed through staff having a thorough knowledge and understanding of that person.
Staff were flexible about the activities people were involved in according to their preferences. Records showed activities were risk assessed to ensure the person and others were safe. This helped to ensure the person enjoyed a good experience of the activity of their choosing.
From our discussions with the registered manager it was clear they had an understanding of their management role and responsibilities and the provider’s legal obligations with regard to CQC.
The provider had policies and procedures in place and these were readily available for staff to refer to when necessary. There were systems in place to assess and monitor the quality of the service. Weekly, monthly and annual health and safety and quality assurance audits were conducted by the home. The provider's quality assurance systems were effective in identifying areas where improvements were required so they could take the necessary action to address any concerns.