25 January 2018
During a routine inspection
At the last inspection in December 2015, this service was rated overall good. At this inspection, we found the service remained good.
A registered manager was 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
People appeared to feel comfortable and safe with the staff team who provided their support. Relatives agreed their relatives were usually safe with the staff team who supported them.
Training on the safeguarding of adults had been completed and the staff team were aware of their responsibilities for keeping people safe from avoidable harm. The registered manager understood their responsibilities for keeping people safe and knew to refer any concerns on to the local authority and Care Quality Commission (CQC).
People's support needs had been identified and risks associated with people's care had been assessed and monitored. There were arrangements in place to make sure action was taken and lessons learned when things went wrong, to improve safety across the service.
Staff recruitment procedures ensured appropriate pre-employment checks were carried out to ensure only suitable staff worked at the service. Adequate staffing levels were in place.
Staff induction and on-going training was provided to ensure they had the skills, knowledge and support they needed to perform their roles. Staff were well supported by the registered manager and team leader and had regular one to one supervisions.
People were protected by the prevention and control of infection. The staff team had received training in infection control and understood their responsibilities around this.
People received their medicines as prescribed and staff supported people to access support from healthcare professionals when required. The service worked with other organisations to ensure that people received coordinated and person-centred care and support.
Staff demonstrated their understanding of the Mental Capacity Act, 2005 (MCA) and they gained people's consent before providing support.
People were involved in planning how their support would be provided and staff took time to understand people’s needs and preferences. Support documentation provided staff with guidance regarding the support people needed to maintain their independence. Staff treated people with kindness, dignity and respect and spent time getting to know them and their specific needs and wishes.
People, relatives and staff were encouraged to provide feedback about the service and it was used to drive continuous improvement. The provider had systems in place to monitor the quality of the service and had a process in place, which ensured people could raise any complaints or concerns.
People knew what to do if they had a concern, complaints were investigated, and lessons learnt to reduce future concerns.
The service notified the Care Quality Commission of certain events and incidents, as required.