24 St Marks Road

Updated 15 May 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, 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 9 March 2018 and was unannounced.

The inspection team consisted of an inspector and an expert by experience. An expert-by-experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service. Our expert by experience’s area of expertise was in the care and support of people with learning disabilities.

Before the inspection we reviewed the information we held about the service. This included a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We also looked at information provided by the local authority to obtain their views of the service.

We also reviewed the provider’s statement of purpose and the notifications we had been sent. A statement of purpose is a document which includes a standard required set of information about a service. Notifications are changes, events or incidents that providers must tell us about.

We used a variety of methods to inspect the service. Due to communication difficulties the people using the service were unable to share their views verbally with us, so we spent time with six of them and observed them being supported in communal areas and at lunch time. We also spoke with two relatives, the registered manager, deputy manager, two senior support workers and two support workers.

We looked at records relating to all aspects of the service including care, staffing and quality assurance. We viewed two people's care records in depth as well as sections of other people's care records. We looked at two staff recruitment files, staff rotas, and other records relating to training, supervision of staff, and the management of the service. We also looked at the results of the most recent quality assurance questionnaire completed by one person using the service, relatives, staff, and visiting professionals.

Updated 15 May 2018

We carried out this unannounced inspection on 9 March 2018. At our last inspection, on 3 November 2015 the service was rated Good. At this inspection we found the service had retained its rating of Good.

24 St Marks Road is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

24 St Marks Road provides accommodation and personal care for up to eight adults. People living at the home have a range of needs including learning and physical disabilities, autism, acquired brain injuries, and associated complex healthcare needs. It is situated in Chaddesden close to Derby city centre. The home has eight ground floor bedrooms, all with ensuite facilities and ceiling hoists. The home has a sensory room, hydro bath, shower room with a shower trolley, a large lounge, a kitchen, and a dining room. The home also has a secluded garden. All areas of the home and garden are wheelchair-accessible. At the time of our inspection seven people were using the service.

The home had been developed and designed in line with the values that underpin the Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These values include choice, promotion of independence and inclusion. People with learning disabilities and autism living at the home could live as ordinary a life as any citizen.

The home has a registered manager. This 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.

The home provided high-quality person-centred care and people and relatives were directly involved in how it was run. The registered manager was passionate about the home and committed to the well-being of the people living there, relatives, and staff.

Staff were caring and had built open and honest relationships with people and their relatives. They were knowledgeable about how best to communicate with people and to advocate for them and ensure their views were heard. People were involved in every aspect of their care and support. Staff knew people’s personal histories and cultural backgrounds and shared their interests with them.

Relatives told us their family members were safe at the home because it was well-staffed and the staff were caring and observant. All staff were aware of their safeguarding responsibilities and knew how to protect people’s well-being. Staff were safely recruited and people living at the home met potential staff and one person assisted with interviews.

The staff were highly-motivated and proud to work at the home. Morale was high and teamwork much in evidence. Relatives spoke of the family atmosphere at the home and the genuine interest staff took in the people they supported.

Good systems were in place to ensure medicines were stored and administered safely by trained staff. The premises were risk assessed to identify hazards and steps taken to minimise risks to people. All areas were warm and clean and staff knew how to protect people from infection.

Meals were prepared in accordance with people’s known preferences and to enable healthy choices. People had regular healthcare appointments and reviews and staff worked with healthcare professionals to improve people’s quality of life.

The home was spacious and uncluttered. People's bedrooms were personalised and decorated according to their wishes and needs.

The registered manager and staff followed the MCA (Mental Capacity Act 2005) and supported people to make decisions for themselves. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice

People received personalised care. Care records contained large attractive photos of people doing the activities they enjoyed. People took part in activities at the home and in the wider community. Each person had an accessible personalised pictorial activity plan and took part in a mixture of group and one-to-one activities.

The provider had established a system of audits focused on people’s quality of life as the desired outcome. The provider’s complaints procedure was displayed in the home and relatives were aware of this. The registered manager and staff continually worked to learn, innovate, and improve the home.