Archived: Greengates

Updated 31 August 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 was planned to check 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 26 July 2016 and was carried out by one inspector. We rang the service one hour before arriving because the location was a small care home for adults who may be out during the day. We needed to be sure that someone would be in. At the time of this inspection there were six people living there. Most people had profound and multiple disabilities and were unable to communicate verbally.

Before the inspection we reviewed the information we held about the service. This included previous inspection reports, statutory notifications (issues providers are legally required to notify us about), other enquiries received from or about the service and the Provider’s 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 the improvements they plan to make. The service was last inspected on 22 January 2014. At that time, the service was meeting essential standards of quality and safety and no significant concerns were identified.

During this inspection we spoke with one person who lived in the home, the registered manager, and five care staff. We observed the staff supporting and interacting with five people who had limited verbal communication skills. We also reviewed two care plans and other records relevant to the running of the home. This included training records, medication records, complaints and incident files.

Updated 31 August 2016

This inspection took place on 26 July 2016. We telephoned the service one hour before we arrived because this is a small home and we wanted to make sure people would be at home when we visited. The service was previously inspected on 22 January 2014 when we found no concerns.

Greengates provides accommodation with personal care for up to seven people with learning disabilities. Some people may also have physical or sensory disabilities.

The service had a registered manager in post. 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 lived in a clean and homely environment, although in many areas the decorations were old and showing signs of wear. There were plans in place to redecorate many areas in the near future. Equipment had been regularly maintained to ensure people and staff were protected from risks to their health and safety.

Staff described how they supported people to participate in a range of activities of their choice, both at home and in the local community. However, there were very few daily records completed by staff to provide evidence of the things people did each day, or the support people received from staff to meet their planned care needs. Staff also described how they supported people to keep in contact with families and friends.

There were sufficient staff employed to meet people’s needs safely. Staff rotas had been drawn up to ensure each person received support at the right times to meet their individual needs. Safe recruitment procedures were followed to minimise the risk of harm or abuse to people who use the service.

Medicines were stored and administered safely by competent staff. Each person held their own medicines in locked cupboards in their rooms and received individual support from the staff team to manage their medicines safely.

The provider ensured each person’s savings, income, cash and belongings were safe and people were protected from the risk of financial abuse.

Staff were trained, supervised and supported and had the skills and competence to meet each person’s needs effectively. Staff received training and regular updates on all mandatory health and safety related topics, as well as topics relevant to the needs of each person living in the home. Staff were given opportunity to gain relevant qualifications in health and social care.

People were involved in all aspects of meal planning and preparation. Staff were aware of each person’s individual dietary needs and provided people with a choice of varied and healthy meals.

People were supported to maintain good health and wellbeing by the staff team and a range of local NHS and social care professionals. Specialist medical advice and support was obtained when necessary. Care and support files contained detailed information on all aspects of each person’s health needs and contained evidence of medical appointments and treatment by a range of health and social care professionals. Care records had been regularly reviewed and included risk assessments and guidelines for staff on how to support people to remain safe and healthy.

People were supported by a team of staff who were kind, cheerful and patient. During our inspection we saw staff supporting and encouraging people to gain as much independence as possible. Staff understood how much satisfaction each person gained from doing things for themselves rather than the staff carrying out tasks for the person. A person who lived in the home told us with pride “I support myself. I do my own personal care – the lot!”

The service was well managed. The provider and manager had systems in place to regularly check all daily routines to ensure people received a safe service that met their needs.