About the service The Palms is a residential care home providing personal care and support to seven younger adults with learning disabilities, or associated conditions. There were seven people using the service at the time of the inspection.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
The service was provided from one house and was registered to support seven people. It therefore conformed with current best practice guidance.
The principles and values of Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance ensure people with a learning disability and or autism who use a service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best outcomes that include control, choice and independence. At this inspection the provider had ensured they were applied.
The vision of the service reflected these principles ensuring people with learning disabilities have opportunities and choice and are supported to achieve their aspirations. Staff adopted the ethos to provide person-centred care that enabled individuals to develop skills and behaviours to live independent lives, whatever the level of need.
Some of the people who used the service had complex needs and they did not express their views verbally about the service. During the time we spent with people we saw they appeared comfortable with staff.
There was a busy, lively environment and the building was well-maintained. Staff knew the people they were supporting well. Care plans were in place detailing how people wished to be supported. Staff had developed good relationships with people, were caring in their approach and treated people with respect. Systems were in place to protect people from abuse.
There were enough staff available to provide individual care and support to each person. Staff upheld people's human rights and treated everyone with respect and dignity. Staff received training and support to help them carry out their role
Communication was effective and staff and people were listened to. Staff said they felt well-supported and were aware of their rights and their responsibility to share any concerns about the care provided.
Relatives were kept informed and involved in decision making about people's care. There were opportunities for people to follow their interests and hobbies. They were supported to be part of the local community and to go on holiday. Arrangements for managing people's medicines were safe. People received a varied and well-balanced diet.
Information was accessible to involve people in decision making about their lives. 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 practice.
The registered manager monitored the quality of the service through audits and feedback received from people, their relatives, staff and external agencies.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection
The last rating for this service was good (published 18 January 2017).
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.