Archived: Cornerways

This inspection took place on 18 February 2016 and was announced, with 24 hours’ notice as we wanted to make sure people and the manager were available.

There was a registered manager at the service. 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 consent to care and support had been sought and staff acted in accordance with people’s wishes. Legal requirements had been followed where people were potentially being restricted.

The manager was following the provider’s guidance in people’s risk assessments and care plans and the risk of unsafe care was reduced. People’s records were up to date and indicated that the required interventions had been undertaken. The records had also been updated to reflect changes in people’s care needs.

People were safeguarded from abuse because the provider had relevant guidance in place and staff were knowledgeable about how the reporting procedure.

People’s health needs were met. Referrals to external health professionals were made in a timely manner. People told us they enjoyed their food and we saw meals were nutritious. Medicines were managed safely.

People told us staff were caring and kind and that their privacy and dignity was maintained when personal care was provided. They were involved in the planning of their care and support. People were able to take part in hobbies and interests of their choice.

Complaints were well managed. Systems to monitor the quality of the service Identified issues for improvement. These were resolved in a timely manner and the provider had obtained feedback about the quality of the service from people, their relatives and staff.

Below is a summary of what we found. The summary describes what people using the service, their relatives and the staff told us, what we observed and the records we looked at. If you want to see the evidence that supports our summary please read the full report.

Is the service safe?

People were cared for in an environment that was safe, clean and hygienic. Our observations of the service found that the environment was clean and tidy and that people's bedrooms were personalised in a way that reflected their tastes.

Staff had a good understanding of the needs of people living in the home. They were able to describe different people's needs and what care they required. We saw that people's needs were assessed and care and treatment was planned in line with their individual care plan. We saw involvement from healthcare professionals such as GPs, specialist learning disability services, dentist's opticians and practice nurses.

We looked at five medication administration record (MAR) charts, which had essential information on such as person's name, a photograph of the person and frequency of medication. All of the MAR charts were signed appropriately, which demonstrated that medication had been given at the appropriate times.

CQC monitors the operation of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards which applies to care homes to ensure that proper legal processes are in place if a person lacks capacity to make decisions and their liberty is being restricted in some way. While no applications have needed to be submitted, proper policies and procedures were in place. Relevant staff have been trained to understand when an application should be made, and how to submit one.

Is the service effective?

People who used the service said they were given choices about how they spent their days. All of the people we spoke to said that the staff were 'nice' and that they liked living there. We saw that there was a monthly residents meeting which showed that people were involved in how the home was run, and the activities they wanted to be involved in.

Is the service caring?

Three people we spoke to said they were very happy with the care they received. We observed the care and treatment of two people living in the home. One person said 'I like living here. I like to feed the birds and my fish'. Another person said 'I want to stay here. I like it here'. We spoke with two members of staff who gave examples of how they treated people with dignity and respect and how they involved people in their care. We observed staff being respectful to people by talking to them in a kind and caring way. We observed that people were comfortable in the presence of staff.

Is the service responsive?

People's needs had been assessed before they moved into the home. We looked at two care records which recorded information on people's daily routine. Each person had a weekly activity planner which was in an easy read format. We saw that each person had an activity plan which demonstrated that people were involved in a wide range of activities based on their individual needs.

Is the service well led?

We saw that quality of service questionnaires were sent to the day centre for people who used the service to complete. We saw that people were happy with the care provided. We saw that a carer and family survey was carried out in 2013 which identified that carers and families were satisfied with the care people received. We saw that resident meetings were held monthly. We saw information on people wanting to do various activities and wanting to visit various places, for example we saw that some people had said they wanted to go to the seaside and that this had been arranged.

Cornerways is an ordinary domestic property in an area to the north of Chesterfield. The home comprises of an extended bungalow with one upstairs bedroom. We found the property to be well maintained and suitable for the needs of the people who live there.

During our inspection visit we spoke with two people who live at the home, and both appeared well cared for and happy living at Cornerways. We asked both people about their experiences and the first person said: 'I like it here, the staff are very nice and I've got a nice bedroom.' The second person said: 'It's alright' In response to the question: 'Have you got everything you need?' They said they had, and they were quite happy.

We also spoke with the registered manager and one member of staff. Both said they were happy working at Cornerways, and said they enjoyed the small size of the home, which made it more homely and intimate.

At our last inspection visit on 7 February 2013 we identified concerns with two outcome areas ' 'consent' and 'care and welfare'. We found at this latest inspection visit, that those concerns had been addressed.

We found that people's individual wishes and choices were noted and acted in accordance with. However, we found that people's rights were not being upheld in relation to making some important decisions.

We found that there were some deficits in the arrangements in place for dealing with emergencies.

There were suitable arrangements in place to ensure that people had their medicines when they needed them and in a safe way.

We found that there were effective staff recruitment procedures in place. People were supported by staff without appropriate skills and experience and who were physically and mentally fit for their job roles.

The records we saw were accurate, fit for purpose, up to date and securely kept.