Ostley House provides accommodation for up to 44 people who need support with their personal care. We spoke with people who lived in the home in their rooms and in the communal areas of the building. We also spoke in private with a visitor to the home and the staff who were on duty. Some of the people who lived in the home were not easily able to tell us their views about the home and the support they received. We used the Short Observation Framework for Inspection to assess how well the service met their needs.We considered our inspection findings to answer questions we always ask;
' Is the service safe?
' Is the service effective?
' Is the service caring?
' Is the service responsive?
' Is the service well-led?
This is a summary of what we found '
Is the service safe?
People who lived at Ostley House were safe and protected from the risk of abuse. All the staff we spoke with showed that they had a good understanding of their responsibility to protect people. They told us they were confident people were safe and well cared for and showed that they knew how they could report any concerns about an individual. A visitor to the home told us, 'I have no concerns at all'.
Risk assessments had been carried out to identify hazards to individuals' safety and to reduce and manage risks. Where people had complex care needs additional risk assessments had been completed including around moving and handling, pressure area care and nutrition. The staff in the home knew the actions to take to protect people because this was recorded in their care records.
People were provided with nutritious meals, snacks and drinks which they told us they enjoyed. This ensured they were protected against the risk of malnutrition and dehydration.
Medicines were stored and managed safety to ensure people received their medication as their doctor had prescribed it.
Safe systems were used when recruiting new staff. People were only employed at Ostley House if they were suitable to work in a care service.
The home had appropriate policies and procedures regarding The Mental Capacity Act 2005 deprivation of liberty safeguards. The manager of the home was knowledgeable about the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and the Mental Capacity Act Codes of Practice. This meant people could be confident that their rights would be protected.
Is the service effective?
People we spoke with told us they were happy living at Ostley House. One person said, 'It's nice here' and another person told us, 'I'm very happy, it's very good'.
People told us that the staff in the home were knowledgeable about the support they needed and how they wanted this to be provided. They said, 'The staff know what I want, I'm very independent and they respect that'. They told us that they made choices about their lives and the staff respected the decisions they made.
From our observations we saw that there were enough staff, with the appropriate skills, to meet people's needs. The staff told us they had completed a range of training to give them the skills to provide the support people required.
Throughout our inspection we found the home was clean and free from odour. The domestic staff we spoke with showed that they understood this was important in maintaining the dignity of people who lived in the home.
People who lived in the home and their families had been included in making decisions about the support they received. People were asked for their views about the service and we saw that action was taken in response to their comments.
Is the service caring?
Everyone we spoke with told us that people were well cared for in this home. One person told us, 'We're well looked after' and another person said, 'The staff are all very kind'. The staff we spoke with told us they were confident that people who lived in the home were well cared for.
We saw that the staff were attentive to individuals' needs and identified when people required support. People were provided with the support they needed promptly and discreetly.
We saw that the staff in the home had developed supportive relationships with the people who lived there. We observed friendly and respectful interactions and saw that people who used the service were confident with the staff working in the home. One person, who liked to spent time in their own room, told us, 'The staff are very good, they pop in to check I'm alright and to have a chat'.
Is the service responsive?
People told us that they made choices about their lives in Ostley House and said the staff in the home respected the choices they made. One person told us, 'They always ask if I want to take my medicines' and another person said, 'I like my breakfast in my room but come to the dining room at dinner time'. During our observations we saw that people were treated with respect and given choices about their daily lives.
A visitor to the home told us that they thought there were enough staff to provide the support people needed. They said, 'There are always staff around and you can find someone quickly if you need to'. They told us they could visit 'any time' and said the staff in the home made them welcome. People were supported to maintain relationships with their families and other people who were important to them.
We looked at a sample of the records the home held about people. We saw that people and their families had been asked about their preferences about their lives and care. The staff on duty were knowledgeable about individuals' preferences and ensured people received support as they wanted it.
Where people were at risk due to having complex health care needs we saw that appropriate specialist support had been taken to ensure their health and welfare were protected
Is the service well-led?
People told us they were asked for their views about the quality of the service provided at Ostley House. The records we looked at showed that people had made suggestions about changes they wanted in how the service was provided and that action that had been taken in response to their comments.
A visitor told us that they felt the management team in the home were 'visible' and said they were able to speak to a senior person in the home if they wanted to. They told us that they had never needed to raise a concern about the service provided to their relative but would be confident speaking to the manager if they needed to do so. They told us, 'The office staff are really helpful'.
The registered manager held regular meetings with staff in the home. Any concerns identified by the registered manager were discussed with the staff and staff team were given opportunities to raise concerns or suggestions about how the service could be further improved.
All the staff said they felt the manager set high standards. They said that people who lived in the home were placed at the centre of their care and the service was focused on providing good quality care. All the staff said they felt well supported and said they would be confident speaking to a member of the management team if they had any concerns about the care provided.
A number of people who lived at Ostley House had some level of dementia. The registered manager and senior staff had attended specialist training in the best practice in supporting people who have dementia. The registered manager had also developed links with other charities which carried on homes for people who had visual impairment to share best practice.
The registered provider and registered manager of the home were committed to providing people with a good service, which met their needs. They had developed a plan for further improvements to the service, including improvements to the environment and furnishings.