George Lane

Updated 6 January 2018

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 and sustaining improvements previously made to the service, to look at the overall quality of the service and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

The inspection took place on 30 October 2017. This inspection was carried out by a single inspector and was unannounced.

Prior to the inspection we reviewed the information we held about the service. We contacted a representative from the local authority safeguarding team and spoke with one more healthcare professional who worked with the service to obtain their feedback.

We communicated with three people using the service and four relatives of people using the service. Due to people’s specific communication needs we were able to communicate using gestures and did obtain one word answers to some of the questions we asked. We also spoke with two care workers, a senior care worker and the registered manager of the service. We looked at a sample of three people’s care records, three staff records and records related to the management of the service.

Updated 6 January 2018

We conducted an inspection George Lane on 30 October 2017. The inspection was unannounced.

At our last inspection on 1 September 2015 we rated this service “Good”. At this inspection, we found the service remained “Good”.

George Lane provides accommodation and personal care for up to four people with learning disabilities. The care home is a two storey property located in the Lewisham area. At the time of our inspection, there were three people using the service.

There was a registered manager at 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.

Staff followed safe practices for administering and storing medicines. Staff had completed medicines administration training within the last year and were clear about their responsibilities.

Risk assessments and care plans contained clear information for staff. These included specific goals for each person which were evaluated every month with the person’s key worker.

Staff demonstrated knowledge of their responsibilities under the Mental Capacity Act 2005. People’s rights were protected and their liberty was only deprived in accordance with legal requirements.

Staff demonstrated an understanding of people’s life histories and current circumstances and supported people to meet their individual needs in a caring way.

People using the service and their relatives were involved in decisions about their care and how their needs were met. People had monthly ‘resident’s meetings’ where they discussed activities and issues affecting the running of the home. People had annual care plan review meetings with their social worker, key worker and relatives to review their goals and update their care plan and risk assessments in line with their current needs.

Recruitment procedures ensured that only staff who were suitable, worked within the service. There was an induction programme for new staff, which prepared them for their role. Staff were provided with appropriate training to help them carry out their duties. Staff received regular supervision. There were enough staff deployed to meet people’s needs.

People who used the service and their relatives gave good feedback about the staff. Staff respected people’s privacy and dignity and people’s cultural and religious needs were met.

People were supported to maintain a balanced, nutritious diet and were assisted in developing their cooking skills. People were supported effectively with their health needs and were supported to access a range of healthcare professionals.

People’s relatives and staff felt able to speak with the registered manager and provided feedback on the service. They knew how to make complaints and there was a complaints policy and procedure in place.

People were encouraged to participate in activities they enjoyed. People had a separate activities schedule which was discussed with them and updated when needed.

The organisation had adequate systems in place to monitor the quality of the service. Feedback was obtained from people through monthly residents meetings and key worker meetings. There was evidence of auditing in different areas of care provided and action plans were in place and monitored on a monthly basis to secure improvement.