Gormanach House

Gormanach House is a care home providing accommodation and personal care to five people with learning disabilities at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to six people.

We found the following examples of good practice

Extensive effort had been made to prioritise people’s mental health and wellbeing. Some of the people living in the home did not understand the pandemic or the risks posed by COVID-19. Staff worked with people and completed risk assessments to enable people to visit relatives at their family homes to ensure people’s mental wellbeing remained positive.

A booking in procedure had been introduced for all visitors who came to the home. This included health questionnaires, temperature checks and lateral flow tests (LFT). The visitors would then wait for the results from the LFT tests in a designated area at the front of the house before proceeding with their visit.

With some people’s lack of capacity to understand the risks of COVID-19, furniture had been moved to facilitate social distancing. During the inspection people were seen to sit a large distance away from each other, we were told by the manager that this is normal behaviour due to the nature of people’s disabilities, social distancing has not been an issue.

Appropriate changes had been introduced to the home. This enabled staff to keep people safe and encourage social distancing in communal areas. There was a sign in the kitchen area to remind people of a limited amount of people in the area at any one time.

Staff were supported with training throughout the pandemic to ensure they were confident with following best practise. Staff were also supported with regular COVID-19 updates from the head office. This included all relevant changes in guidance when they happened so staff were confident they were complying with all up to date guidance.

The provider had maintained a plentiful supply of PPE throughout the pandemic and the manager was using the government portal to ensure the PPE stock remained at a safe level. The manager told us that they were confident that if the PPE stock were ever low then the provider would support them.

Thorough cleaning schedules had been implemented in response to the pandemic. This included regular cleaning of high touch areas such as banisters and light switches. Evidence was seen of these high risk areas being sanitised regularly throughout the day.

The provider was taking part in the regular testing programme and ensured all staff and people living in the home had access to regular testing. This followed guidance and ensured appropriate steps were taken in recording tests in a timely way. Risk assessments had been completed for people living in the home that did not have the capacity and staff were unable to complete testing on. Further daily checks had been introduced to monitor for symptoms which included twice daily temperature checks of all people living in the home.

Further information is in the findings below.

The care service has 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 using the service can live as ordinary a life as any citizen.

This inspection site visit took place on 3 December 2018 and was unannounced.

There was 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.

Relatives told us that they felt their family members were safe with staff. Staff understood risks to people’s care and what they needed to do to reduce the risks of injuries to people. Staff had received training in how to safeguard people and what they needed to do if they suspected abuse. Before staff started work checks were undertaken to ensure that they were suitable.

There were sufficient numbers of staff employed at the service. People’s medicines were managed in a safe way by staff. Staff followed best practice with regards to infection control. In the event of an emergency such as fire or flood there were plans in place to ensure that people were protected Accidents and incidents were recorded and actions were taken to reduce the risk of these re-occurring.

Before staff started work they received a detailed induction. Staff told us that they felt supported and that training at the service was effective. People told us that staff knew how to provide care and understood their needs. Training was continuous and staff competencies were reviewed regularly through spot checks and one to one meetings with their manager.

People’s opinions were sought in relation to how they wanted their care to be delivered. Staff treated people with kindness, consideration and respect. Relatives were welcomed at the service.

People were supported with the meals that that they liked and in line with their dietary needs. Staff monitored people's health and liaised with relevant health care professionals to ensure people received the care and treatment they required. Staff worked within health care social care guidance. Detailed assessments of care took place before people moved in. People had access to activities that were personalised to their likes. The registered manager worked with external organisations in relation to improving people’s care.

Staff understood the principles of the Mental Capacity Act (2005) and what they needed to do if they suspected a person lacked capacity. People received personalised care that reflected their needs, interests and preferences. Regular reviews were undertaken and any changes to people’s needs were actioned by staff. The provider had a clear and accessible complaints procedure.

Relatives and staff were complimentary of the management and the support they received. Staff worked well as a team and felt supported and valued. Steps were taken to review the care and the delivery with actions to make improvements. Methods they used included audits, resident and staff meetings and spot checks.

Services that provide health and social care to people are required to inform the Care Quality Commission (CQC) of important events that happen in the service. The registered manager had informed the CQC of significant events including significant incidents and safeguarding concerns.

This was the first inspection of the service.