Archived: Gaynor Forster House

Updated 28 June 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 checked 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.

This inspection took place on 4 May 2016 and was announced. This was so that key people could be available to participate in the inspection, and for people living in the service to be made aware we would be visiting their home. The inspection team consisted of one inspector.

Before the inspection, we reviewed information we held about the service. This included previous inspection reports, and any notifications, (A notification is information about important events which the service is required to send us by law) and complaints we have received. Before the inspection the provider completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). 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. This enabled us to ensure we were addressing any potential areas of concern. We contacted the local authority commissioning team and to ask them about their experiences of the service provided.

We observed people’s care and support throughout our inspection to help us understand the experiences people had. We spoke with one person who was resident during our inspection. We spoke with the registered manager, and a care worker. Following our inspection, we contacted a social care professional and a relative to ask them about their experiences of the service provided.

As part of our inspection we looked in detail at the care provided for one person, and we reviewed their care and support plan. We looked at records of meals provided, the compliments and complaints log, incident and accidents records, policies and procedures, meeting minutes, and staff training records. We also looked at the service’s quality assurance audits.

The service was last inspected on 7 January 2014 when no concerns were identified.

Updated 28 June 2016

This inspection took place on 4 May 2016 and was announced.

Gaynor Forster House is part of The Outlook Foundation, a charity which provides accommodation, and/or personal care and training for young adults with mild to moderate learning disabilities. The Outlook Foundation has three services in Brighton and Hove. This is a supported living scheme where people live in their own home under a tenancy agreement. Each person has their own flat with a bedroom, bathroom and kitchen/lounge area. People receive personal care or social support in order to promote their independence. The support provided is tailored to meet people’s individual needs and enables the person to be as autonomous and independent as possible. The service is situated in a residential area with easy access to local amenities, transport links and the city centre. Gaynor Forster House has up to five people living in the service and is registered to provide personal care. At the time of the inspection one person was receiving support with personal care.

The service had a registered manager, who was present throughout the inspection, they have been in their current post for many years and knew the service well. 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.

People's individual care and support needs were assessed before they moved into the service. Care and support provided was personalised and based on the identified needs of the individual. People were supported to develop their life skills and increase their independence. People’s care and support plans and risk assessments were detailed and reviewed regularly. People told us they had felt involved and listened to. A relative told us, “The Outlook Foundation provides excellent care.”

Consent was sought from people with regard to the care and support that was delivered. Staff had undertaken training in the Mental Capacity Act 2005, and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). They knew how to involve appropriate people in the decision making process if someone lacked capacity to make a decision.

People were supported to eat a healthy and nutritious diet. They had access to health care professionals, and had been supported to have an annual healthcare check. All appointments with, or visits by, health care professionals were recorded in people’s care and support plan.

People told us they felt safe. There were sufficient numbers of suitable staff to keep people safe and meet their care and support needs. The number of staff on duty enabled people, if they chose, to be supported to access educational courses, participate in voluntary work and in social activities. Staff told us they were supported to develop their skills and knowledge by receiving training which helped them to carry out their roles and responsibilities effectively. Training records were kept up-to-date, plans were in place to promote good practice and develop the knowledge and skills of staff.

Staff told us it was a small staff team who worked well together, and communication throughout the service was good. Comprehensive handovers were held at the beginning of each day and they also attended regular staff meetings. They confirmed that they felt valued and supported.

People and their representatives were asked to complete an annual satisfaction questionnaire. We could see the actions which had been completed following the comments received. People had the opportunity to attend regular ‘tenants meetings’. The registered manager told us a range of internal audits were carried out to review the quality of the care and support provided, and records confirmed this. The registered manager also told us that they operated an 'open door policy' so people living in the service, staff and visitors could discuss any issues they may have.