This was an unannounced inspection which took place on 14 November 2017.Tikvah Woodpeckers is a care home without nursing which is registered to provide a service for up to eight people with learning disabilities and associated physical disabilities. Some people had other associated difficulties such as being on the autistic spectrum. There were seven people living in the service on the day of the visit. All accommodation is provided within two ground floor buildings which are located near to each other.
At the last inspection in August 2015 the service was rated Good. At this inspection we found the service remained Good.
Why the service is rated Good:
There is a registered manager running 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.
The service remained safe. People’s safety was contributed to by staff who had been trained in safeguarding vulnerable adults and health and safety policies and procedures. Staff understood how to protect people and who to alert if they had any concerns. General risks and risks to individuals were identified and appropriate action was taken to reduce them.
There were enough staff on duty at all times to meet people’s diverse, individual needs safely. The service had a stable staff team. However, if they did recruit new staff they had systems in place to ensure, that as far as possible, staff recruited were safe and suitable to work with people. People were given their medicines safely, at the right times and in the right amounts by trained and competent staff.
The service remained effective. Staff were well-trained and able to meet people’s health and well-being needs. They were able to respond effectively to people’s current and changing needs. The service sought advice from and worked with health and other professionals to ensure they met people’s needs.
People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practise.
The service continued to be caring and responsive. The committed, attentive and knowledgeable staff team provided care with kindness and respect. Individualised care planning ensured people’s equality and diversity was respected. People were provided with a wide variety of activities, according to their needs, abilities, health and preferences.
The registered manager was highly thought of and respected. The quality of care the service provided continued to be assessed, reviewed and improved, as necessary.