There were six people resident at the home on the day of our visit. We spoke to service users and observed staff as they went about their day to day work.People living at the home told us that they are involved in a variety of meaningful activities including; attending college, paid work, voluntary work, drama, art, pottery and music sessions. Although some people living at the home are very independent, staff clearly provide a lot of background support and work hard to ensure that service users are able to get involved in such a range of activities.
We were told that the arrangements for household jobs such as cooking and cleaning were fair and worked well, with people taking it in turns to do certain tasks, with the help of staff. One person told us that they each have a day when they choose and make the main evening meal for everyone at the home and that this works well. This individual told us that they know each other well and know what people like and don't like to eat, saying 'I don't like peppers and they know that' and telling us that next week they were making a stir fry on their cooking night.
Service users are given good support with their finances, according to their needs and the individual level of risk. One person told us that staff help her with her money and keep records of this. They explained that later in the day staff would give her the money she needed for her drama class and that she and the staff member would both sign the record to show how much money had been taken and what it was for.
The person who lives in the self contained flat, which forms part of the home, told us that they really liked having their own space, being able to have a friend to stay and the independence of living in the flat. The flat and other parts of the main house are in need of refurbishment and this has been addressed within this report.
We spoke to service users about staffing arrangements at the home. People told us that they are able to have individual time with staff, know who their key worker is, like the staff and are happy with the support provided.
During our visit we observed staff going about their day to day duties. There was an open and friendly atmosphere, with staff clearly knowing people well and knowing what needed to be done and the support each person required.