Archived: Merchiston House

Updated 17 June 2015

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection checked whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This inspection took place on 29 May and 1 June 2015 and was unannounced.

The inspection was carried out by a single inspector. Before the inspection visit we looked at all the information we held about the provider, including notifications of significant incidents and the last Care Quality Commission inspection report.

During the inspection, we spoke with one person using the service, the assistant manager, team leader and one agency care staff member. We looked at the care records for one person using the service, two staff records, the home’s complaints records and other records relating to the management of the service. This included the audits carried out by the registered manager and care staff. Following the inspection, we received feedback from two relatives.

We also requested the views about the service from two social care professionals but on this occasion we did not receive their feedback.

Updated 17 June 2015

This inspection took place on 29 May and 1 June 2015 and was unannounced. There were two people living in the service at the time of the inspection. At the last inspection in May 2013 we found the service was meeting the regulations that we assessed.

Merchiston House is an assessment centre for people who have a range of learning disabilities. It provides accommodation for up to four adults for approximately three to eighteen months. The length of the placement period could be flexible depending on the person’s needs.

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.

Feedback about the service from people and relatives was positive. People said they liked living in the service. Comments from relatives included, “I don't think the level of service could possibly be improved. It is excellent” and another confirmed they were consulted about the care and support their family member received.

We found the service to be meeting the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). Where people were not able to make decisions about the care and support they received, the provider acted within the law to make decisions in their best interests. DoLS provides a process to make sure that people are only deprived of their liberty in a safe and correct way, when it is in their best interests and there is no other way to look after them. Where necessary, people’s capacity to make decisions about their lives was assessed and those people involved in the person’s life had their views considered.

People told us they felt safe whilst using service and we saw there were systems and processes in place to protect people from the risk of harm. Staff were knowledgeable about safeguarding procedures and what to do if they had concerns about a person’s safety. Staffing numbers on each shift were sufficient to help keep people safe.

People were encouraged to develop and maintain their independence and were supported to learn new skills. Activities were on offer at the service to enable people to learn new skills, for example cooking a meal, and people were also encouraged to participate in groups in the community.

People were treated with dignity and respect. Staff were knowledgeable about the people using the service and their preferences. People’s care was personalised and reflected their choices and individual needs. These had been assessed and where possible people had been involved with planning their own care.

Staff had the skills and knowledge to support people. Staff received regular training and were supported by the registered and assistant managers through supervision and appraisal processes.

We found that medicines were managed safely and records confirmed that people received their prescribed medicines.

People were supported to keep healthy and well. Staff responded to people’s changing needs and worked closely with other health and social care professionals when needed.

There were systems in place to monitor the quality of the service and identify where improvements needed to be made.