Archived: Sandylee House

Sandylee is a residential care home providing accommodation and personal care for six people with a learning disability and/or autism at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to seven people in one adapted building.

The service has been developed and designed in line with the principles and values that underpin Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. This ensures that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes. The principles reflect the need for people with learning disabilities and/or autism to live meaningful lives that include control, choice, and independence. People using the service receive planned and co-ordinated person-centred support that is appropriate and inclusive for them.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

The service applied the principles and values of Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These ensure that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes that include control, choice and independence.

The outcomes for people using the service reflected the principles and values of Registering the Right Support by promoting choice and control, independence and inclusion. People's support focused on them having as many opportunities as possible for them to gain new skills and become more independent.

People received high-quality care from a service which was extremely well-led. The registered manager took pride in ensuring people received personalised support from a staff team who were dedicated and committed and told us they felt valued and respected. The registered manager led by example and promoted an inclusive and positive culture within the service. Governance frameworks were embedded within with service to both maintain and continually drive improvement.

There were sufficient numbers of staff to meet people’s needs. People’s risks were managed in a safe way and people were protected from the risk of abuse and harm as staff were trained to identify and respond to concerns of abuse.

People’s needs were assessed, and care plans were reviewed to ensure people received consistent support. Staff worked well with one another and with other agencies and professionals to improve people’s health and well-being. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

Staff were kind and were committed to delivering support in line with people’s wishes and needs, promoting people’s independence and preserving dignity and respect. People’s social needs were met, and people were given choice about the way in which they lived their lives.

People and their relatives were consulted about the home and the way in which it was run and told us actions were taken as a result of feedback provided. People felt reassured complaints would be dealt with in line with the provider’s complaints policy.

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 27 September 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.

There was 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. A service manager managed the service on a day-to-day basis.

At our previous inspection, we told the provider to make improvements to ensure that when people were not able to make certain decisions for themselves, they followed the legal guidance available. At this inspection, the required improvements had been made. People were assisted to make decisions, and when needed, the provider had shown why their support was in their best interests.

People continued to be safe living at Sandylee House. They were protected from harm by staff who understood how to promote their safety and manage any potential risks. There were enough staff to meet people’s needs and keep them safe. There were effective systems in place to ensure staff were suitable to work with people. Medicines were managed safely, and people were protected from any risks associated with them.

Staff were equipped with the knowledge they needed to carry out their roles effectively, and received training to develop their skills. They supported people to maintain a balanced diet and ensure they had access to healthcare services. People were supported by staff who were caring and kind. Staff knew people well and promoted their independence. People were able to maintain relationships that were important to them.

The care that people received continued to be responsive to their individual needs, and this was delivered in a personalised manner. People contributed to the planning and review of their care in a meaningful way. They were involved in activities they enjoyed and were encouraged to make choices in their lives.

The service continued to be well led, and the management team encouraged a positive open culture at the home. People were involved in the development of the service and the provider listened to the feedback they received. There were effective systems in place to drive continuous improvement at the service.

People spoke well of the home, one person using the service said, 'I can talk to whoever is on duty, I like the staff. I feel safe here because I don't worry about things.' Another person using the service said, 'They treat me like royalty.' A staff member said, 'I think it is absolutely wonderful here, you can feel the care that's going on. It is all about the people who live here, it is not about money, the ethos is fantastic.'

We saw the home could demonstrate how arrangements to seek people's consent to care or treatment had been agreed in the person's best interests.

We saw people were treated with care and compassion and the staff responded well to their needs or concerns.

We looked at the cleanliness and suitability of the environment to ensure people lived in a home where the d'cor and infection control standards were appropriate. We found the home was clean, safe and well maintained.

We found the service was well led because the registered provider supported the staff team and managed risks to the service effectively.