Chipstead lake is a residential care service providing accommodation and personal care to adults with a physical disability. It is registered to accommodate 24 people.This inspection was carried out on 18 January 2016 by three inspectors. It was an unannounced inspection. There were 22 people using the service at the time of the inspection.
There was a manager in post who was registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC). A registered manager is a person who has registered with the 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.
Staff were trained in how to protect people from abuse and harm. They knew how to recognise signs of abuse and how to raise an alert if they had any concerns. Risk assessments were centred on the needs of the individual. Each risk assessment included clear measures to reduce identified risks and guidance for staff to follow to make sure people were protected from harm. Accidents and incidents were recorded and monitored to identify how the risks of recurrence could be reduced. Action had been taken to reduce the risks to people’s safety.
There were sufficient staff to meet people’s needs. Thorough recruitment procedures were in place to ensure staff were suitable to work with people.
Medicines were stored, administered, recorded and disposed of safely and correctly. Staff were trained in the safe administration of medicines and kept relevant records that were accurate.
The service was clean, well maintained and designed to meet the needs of the people that used it.
Staff were knowledgeable and skilled in meeting people’s needs. They had the opportunity to receive further training specific to the needs of the people they supported. All members of staff received regular one to one supervision sessions and had an annual appraisal of their performance. Staff felt supported in their roles and were clear about their responsibilities. This ensured they were supported to work to the expected standards.
Staff worked creatively to enable people to overcome difficulties and to achieve their goals. Staff provided a caring service that treated people with kindness and compassion and recognised their individuality. They knew each person well and understood how to meet their support and communication needs. People’s privacy was respected and people were assisted in a way that respected their dignity.
The CQC is required by law to monitor the operation of Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) which applies to care homes. Appropriate applications to restrict people’s freedom had been submitted where needed and the least restrictive options were considered as per the Mental Capacity Act 2005 requirements. Staff sought and obtained people’s consent before they provided care.
People were provided with meals that were in sufficient quantity and met their needs and choices. People were happy with the quality of the food they received and they enjoyed their meal times. Staff knew about and provided for people’s dietary preferences and restrictions.
People were promptly referred to health care professionals when needed. The service provided an effective physiotherapy service that maintained and increased people’s mobility and wellbeing.
People were involved in their day to day care. People’s care plans were reviewed with their participation and relatives were invited to attend reviews with people’s consent. Personal records included people’s individual plans of care, life history, likes and dislikes and preferred activities. The staff promoted people’s independence and encouraged people to do as much as possible for themselves. Clear information about the home, the facilities, and how to complain was provided to people and visitors.
People were involved in the planning of activities that responded to their individual needs and interests. A broad range of activities and outings were available for people to choose from. People were supported to use IT equipment and internet services and adaptions were made to the equipment to meet their needs.
Staff told us they felt valued by the registered manager and supported to provide a high quality service. The registered manager was open and transparent in their approach. Emphasis was placed on continuous improvement of the service. The registered manager kept up to date with any changes in legislation that might affect the service and carried out comprehensive audits to identify how the service could improve. They acted on the results of these audits and made necessary changes to improve the quality of the service and care.