Archived: Worcester Road

Updated 23 January 2015

This report was written during the testing phase of our new approach to regulating adult social care services. After this testing phase, inspection of consent to care and treatment, restraint, and practice under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) was moved from the key question ‘Is the service safe?’ to ‘Is the service effective?

The ratings for this location were awarded in October 2014. They can be directly compared with any other service we have rated since then, including in relation to consent, restraint, and the MCA under the ‘Effective’ section. Our written findings in relation to these topics, however, can be read in the ‘Is the service safe’ sections of this report.

We visited the service on 11 and 12 August 2014. The inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Before our inspection we reviewed information we held about the service and information sent to us by the provider (Provider Information Return). 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.

During this inspection we spoke with the registered manager, two people using the service, a relative and two staff members. We looked at the support folders and personal folders of four people using the service. We also looked at the employment records for two staff members and information relating to how the home was run. We also looked around the home to see how it was cleaned and maintained.

Updated 23 January 2015

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and to pilot a new inspection process being introduced by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) which looks at the overall quality of the service.

This was an unannounced inspection.

The service met all of the regulations we inspected against at our last inspection on 15 July 2013.

Worcester Road provides personal care, support and accommodation for up to seven people with learning disabilities. At the time of our visit there were six people using the service.

The service had a registered manager in place. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the CQC to manage the service and has the legal responsibility for meeting the requirements of the law; as does the provider. People using the service told us they felt happy living at Worcester Road and they liked the staff who supported them. We saw that support plans and risk assessments were reviewed every six months by staff and each person using the service.

We saw staff had been trained in the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and they had a good understanding of the principles of the Act. There were systems and processes in place to protect people from foreseeable harm and act on concerns in order to keep them safe. We found there were no Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) in place at the time of our inspection.

We saw the service had clear and detailed recruitment procedures that involved people using the service as part of the interview process.

The bathroom and shower room were in need of redecoration and deep cleaning. The kitchen was in need of refurbishment as it had damaged drawers and cupboards. The manager informed us a refurbishment was scheduled for September 2014.

Staff completed a range of training defined as mandatory by the provider. The staff we spoke with felt they had the appropriate training and support to carry out their role.

Staff explained how they promoted and maintained people's privacy and dignity through their support they provided. We saw that staff treated people in a caring manner with dignity and respect.

We saw the support plans included information on how to resolve any behaviour that could be challenging and the activities people took part in each week.

People using the service and their relatives were sent annual questionnaires to gain feedback on the care and support provided. Information from incident and accident reports was used to identify any changes in need and ensure the support plans were reviewed to reflect this. People using the service were involved in decisions about how the service was provided and had been consulted on possible major changes to the service.