Hudson Street is one of 14 services owned by Milewood Healthcare Limited. The service provides accommodation and personal care for up to 12 people with learning disabilities or autistic spectrum disorder. Accommodation is provided in two adjacent terraced houses in the seaside town of Whitby on the North Yorkshire coast. On the day of inspection, there were 12 people living at Hudson Street.The service had a registered manager. 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.
This inspection took place on 25 October 2016. At our previous inspection on 11 June 2015, we saw that people were not safe because there was inadequate maintenance and a lack of cleanliness. In addition, audits carried out had not identified these as areas for improvement.
At this inspection, improvements had been made and the service was safely maintained and clean. Audits had improved and the registered manager had drawn up action plans arising from the results of these.
Medicines were safely handled to protect people. The registered manager assessed risks in consultation with people and plans were put in place to minimise these. Risk plans were subject to regular review with people involved.
Staff were able to tell us what they would do to ensure people were safe and people told us they felt safe at the service. The service had sufficient suitable staff to care for people and staff were safely recruited.
The environment was safe for people, though their individual rooms were at times disorganised and cluttered which could lead to risks around fire safety and trip hazards. However, staff explained they worked alongside people to support them to maintain their environment safely and we saw that they intervened when necessary to protect people.
People were protected by the infection control procedures in the service.
Staff supported people appropriately when they had behaviour which may challenge others and they consulted with people about their risk plans.
Staff had received suitable training to ensure that people received care appropriate for their needs.
Staff had received up to date training in Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005 and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). Staff understood that people should be consulted about their care and they understood the principles of the MCA and DoLS. People were protected around their mental capacity.
People’s preferences around food and drink were recorded. People were supported to eat healthy meals and they told us they enjoyed the food. Specialist advice around people’s nutrition, medical care and mental health needs was sought and advice was followed.
People were treated with kindness and compassion. We saw staff had a good rapport with people whilst treating them with dignity and respect. Staff had knowledge and understanding of people’s needs. Care plans provided detailed information about people’s individual needs and preferences. Records and observations provided evidence that people were treated in a way which encouraged them to feel valued and cared about.
People were supported to engage in daily activities they enjoyed and which supported them towards independence. Daily activities were in line with people’s preferences and interests. Staff were responsive to people’s wishes and understood their personal histories and social networks so they could support them in the way they preferred. Care plans were kept up to date and reviewed each month. People were given opportunities to take part in drawing up their care plans, their reviews and to give their views which were acted upon.
People told us their complaints were responded to and the results of complaint investigations were recorded. Everyone we spoke with told us that if they had concerns, they were addressed by the registered manager who responded quickly.
The service had an effective quality assurance system in place. Hudson Street was well managed and staff were well supported in their role. The registered manager had a clear understanding of their role. They consulted appropriately with people who lived at the service, people who were important to them, staff and health care professionals, in order to identify required improvements and put these in place. Records around good governance were clear and accurate and led to planned improvements.