Background to this inspection
Updated
12 May 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 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 3 March 2016 and was unannounced.
The inspection team consisted of one inspector.
Before the inspection we reviewed the 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 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. We spoke with two people using the service on an individual basis. We attended a house meeting attended by the same two people, and four others. At the meeting people shared their views about the service with us. We also spent time with two people using the service who were not able to share their views verbally. And we spoke with the registered manager, a senior support worker, and three support workers.
We observed people being supported in communal areas. We looked at records relating to all aspects of the service including care, staffing and quality assurance. We also looked in detail at three people’s care records.
Updated
12 May 2016
This was an unannounced inspection that took place on 3 March 2016.
Sycamore Court is a residential care service providing personal care and support for up to 12 younger and older adults living with a learning difficulty and/or an autistic spectrum disorder. The premises are on two floors, all bedrooms are single, and there are three lounge/dining areas, two kitchens and a variety of bath and shower rooms.
At the time of our inspection there were nine people using the service.
The service 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.
People told us they were happy at Sycamore Court and considered it to be their home. They also said they liked the staff and felt safe with them. The accommodation was homely and bedrooms were personalised. Staff and the people using the service got on well together. The atmosphere was warm and friendly and people appeared relaxed and comfortable.
When we asked people what they liked best about Sycamore House they told us ‘the staff’. People helped to choose the staff who supported them. The staff we met were well-trained and knowledgeable about the people they supported. There were enough staff on duty to meet people’s needs, accompany them out into the wider community, and spend both one-to-one and group time with them.
People told us they enjoyed the meals served. They said what their favourite foods were and we saw these were on the menu. Staff encouraged people to eat healthily and to try a wide range of food but also understood that people had a right to choose what they ate.
Staff told us they got to know the people using the service by being introduced to them and spending time with them, talking with their relatives and friends, and reading their care plans. They supported people to take part in a range of one-to-one and group activities including pub visits, discos, shopping, cinema, arts and crafts, trips to the park, and cookery.
Staff ensured that all the people using the service were involved in its running. Some people were able to give their views verbally, but for those who couldn’t staff used their communication skills, including signing, to include them. At a house meeting we attended staff ensured all the people using the service were involved and understood what the meeting was about.
The registered manager oversaw all aspects of the service. She got on well with the people who lived at Sycamore Court who happily approached her whenever they wanted to. Staff told us they had confidence in the registered manager and said she provided them with good leadership.
The provider had a system in place to assess, monitor and improve the quality and safety of the service. This included regular surveys which gave the people using the service, relatives, and other stakeholders the opportunity to comment on how well it was it running. We saw that ongoing improvements had been made as a result of this system.