Background to this inspection
Updated
9 March 2016
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.
The inspection was undertaken by one inspector on the 4 February 2016 and was unannounced.
Prior to the inspection we reviewed all the information we held about the service, and notifications we had received. A notification is information about important events, which the service is required to send us by law.
People were unable to fully verbally communicate with us to give us their views about the service, so we observed how people responded and interacted with staff. We observed care and support in communal areas, and watched how people were supported whilst participating in an activity. During the inspection we met and spoke with all eight people who used the service. We spoke to two relatives and five staff. We also spoke with the registered manager.
We looked around the premises. We looked at three records which related to people’s individual care needs, three records which related to administration of medicines and spoke with staff about the recruitment process and records associated with the management of the service including quality audits.
Updated
9 March 2016
The inspection took place on 4 February 2016 and was unannounced. 3 Prince of Wales Road provides care and accommodation for up to eight people with learning disabilities. On the day of our inspection eight people were living in the service. Encompass (Dorset) owns this service and has other services in the Dorset area.
The service had a registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) 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.
We met and spoke with all eight people during our visit. People were not able to fully verbalise their views and used other methods of communication, for example pictures. We therefore spent time observing people.
People’s mental capacity had been assessed which meant care being provided by staff was in line with people’s best interest. Staff understood their role with regards to ensuring people’s human rights and legal rights were respected. Staff had completed safeguarding training and understood what constituted abuse and how to report concerns. Staff described what action they would take to protect people against harm and were confident any incidents or allegations would be fully investigated.
People’s medicines were managed safely. People received their medicines as prescribed and received them on time. Staff received training and understood what people’s medicines were for. Staff understood the importance of safe administration and management of medicines. People were supported to maintain good health through regular access to health and social care professionals, such as speech and language therapists.
People had access to healthcare professionals to make sure they received appropriate treatment to meet their health care needs such as hospital consultants. Staff acted on the information given to them by professionals to ensure people received the care they needed to remain safe.
People were relaxed and observed to be happy with the staff supporting them. Care records were detailed and personalised to meet each person’s needs. People and / or their relatives were involved as much as possible with their care records to say how they liked to be supported. People were offered choice and their preferences were respected.
People’s risks were documented and well managed. People were monitored when required to help ensure they remained safe. People lived active lives and were supported to try a range of activities, for example cinema outings and walking.
People enjoyed the meals offered and had access to snacks and drinks at any time. People were involved in planning menus, food shopping and preparing meals, and were encouraged to say if meals were not to their liking.
Staff said the registered manager and management team were supportive and approachable and worked in the home regularly. Staff talked positively about their roles. Comments included; “I love it here.”
People were protected by safe recruitment procedures. There were sufficient numbers of staff on duty to support people safely and ensure everyone had opportunities to take part in activities. Staff received an induction programme. Staff had completed training and had the right skills and knowledge to meet people’s needs.
There were effective quality assurance systems in place. Any significant events were appropriately recorded and analysed. Evaluation of incidents was used to help make improvements and keep people safe. Improvements helped to ensure positive progress was made in the delivery of care and support provided by the staff. Feedback was sought from relatives, professionals and staff to assess the quality of the service provided.