Almond Villas

Updated 13 March 2019

The inspection:

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team:

The inspection team consisted of one adult social care inspector.

Service and service type:

Almond Villas is a 'care home' which is registered to provide residential rehabilitation for up to 14 adults with complex mental health needs. People in care homes receive accommodation and personal care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection:

Inspection site visit activity started on 19 February 2019 and ended on 20 February 2019. This inspection was unannounced.

What we did:

Our inspection was informed by evidence we already held about the service. We also checked for feedback we received from members of the public, local authorities, Healthwatch, safeguarding and clinical commissioning groups (CCGs). We also checked records held by Companies House.

We had not asked the service to complete a Provider Information Return. This is information we require providers to send us at least once annually to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

During inspection we spoke with three people who used the service to ask about their experience of the care provided. We also spoke with the registered manager, operations manager and one care staff.

We reviewed a range of records. This included, three people’s care records and three staff files around recruitment. We also looked at various records in relation to medication, training and supervision of staff, records relating to the management of the home and a variety of policies and procedures developed and implemented by the provider.

Updated 13 March 2019

About the service:

Almond Villas is a 'care home' which is registered to provide residential rehabilitation for up to 14 adults with complex mental health needs. At the time of our inspection there were eight people using the service.

People’s experience of using this service:

The registered manager had made improvements since our last inspection of 19 March 2018.

People using the service told us they felt safe. Staff had received training in safeguarding and knew their responsibilities to report any concerns. Relevant safeguarding and whistleblowing policies and procedures were in place to guide staff. Risks to people’s health and wellbeing had been assessed and were reviewed on a regular basis to keep people safe. Good infection control practices were observed throughout our inspection.

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. All the people using the service had capacity and were not being unlawfully restricted. People had given consent to their care and treatment.

People who used the service felt staff knew them well. We saw staff had access to numerous mandatory training courses. The register manager confirmed other training courses could be accessed as required, to meet the needs of people using the service.

We received positive comments from people about staff. We observed interactions that were caring, kind and sensitive. Staff spoke about people in a compassionate manner. People were supported to purchase food and cook meals, if this was necessary. Staff advised people in relation to healthy eating.

Detailed, person centred care plans were in place. People confirmed they had been involved in the development of these and had signed to consent. We saw regular reviews of care plans and goals were undertaken.

We received positive feedback about the registered manager and the operation and oversight of the service. Audits and monitoring had improved. Team meetings were taking place that provided staff with updates about the home and its operation.

Rating at last inspection:

At the last inspection this service was rated requires improvement [published 3 May 2018].

Why we inspected:

We undertook this inspection based on the previous ratings of the service.

Follow up: We will plan a follow up inspection as per our inspection programme. We will continue to monitor the service and if we receive any concerning information we may bring the inspection forward.