Our inspection looked at our five questions; is the service caring? Is the service responsive? Is the service safe? Is the service effective? Is the service well led? Below is a summary of what we found. The summary is based on our observations during the inspection, speaking with people using the service, speaking with the staff supporting them and looking at records.
If you want to see the evidence supporting our summary please read the full report.
Is the service safe?
We found people were encouraged to express their views and were involved in making decisions about their care and treatment. The staff we spoke with gave us good examples of how people were involved in making decisions about the care and support they received. We also saw staff encouraged people to be as independent as possible while offering the correct level of support.
Care and treatment was planned and delivered in a way that ensured people's safety and welfare. Records were in place to monitor any specific areas where people were more at risk. However, the guidance provided to staff was not always comprehensive regarding the actions they should take to minimise and manage risks.
The company had policies and procedures in place to help protect people who used the service from abuse. We found the majority of staff had received training in relation to safeguarding vulnerable people from abuse. People told us they felt safe living at the home.
We saw checks took place to ensure the service was operating safely.
Is the service effective?
People who used the service and their relatives had been involved in writing support plans and these had been reviewed and updated when required. However, some plans were not signed by the person using the service, or their representative to acknowledge their agreement in the planned care. Care plans had been regularly evaluated to reflect any changes in people's needs.
Staff had access to a varied training programme to ensure they could meet the needs of the people they supported, but we found regular updates had not always taken place. However, this was being addressed at the time of our visit with several update courses arranged for the near future.
Staff had received support sessions and each one had a training plan. Annual appraisals of staffs' performance had not taken place over the last year, but we saw the acting manager was addressing this shortfall.
Is the service caring?
People were supported by caring, patient and knowledgeable staff. We saw staff interacting with people positively. They encouraged them to be as independent as they were able to be, while providing support as needed.
We spoke with seven of the eight people who used the service. Their comments indicated they were happy with the care and support they received and they made positive comments about the staff that supported them.
Care files contained information about people's needs and preferences. We saw care and support had been provided in accordance with people's wishes.
Is the service responsive?
Records demonstrated that when there had been changes in people's needs outside agencies had been involved to make sure they received the correct care and support.
People told us they were encouraged to be involved in community and in-house social activities. They said they had particularly enjoyed shopping trips, an outing to the coast, swimming, jewellery making and games, such as football and bowling.
The home had a complaints procedure which was available to people using and visiting the service. No complaints had been recorded since our last inspection but we saw several compliments about the service had been received.
Satisfaction surveys had been used to enable relatives to share their views on the service provided. This helped the provider to assess the quality of care and support provided as well as the general facilities available. People's comments indicated they were happy with how the home operated.
Is the service well-led?
At the time of the inspection the registered manager had just resigned. However, an acting manager, who had previously been registered to manage the service, was in post. They told us they were overseeing the day to day running of the home until a new manager could be recruited.
There was a system in place to assess if the home was operating correctly. We saw audits had been completed and where shortfalls had been noted action taken to address them.
Staff were clear about their roles and responsibilities. We saw they had access to policies, procedure and a staff handbook to inform and guide them. Staff training and development needs had been assessed to enable the provider to arrange future training sessions.