This inspection took place on 6 January 2016 and was unannounced. We previously visited the service on 18 December 2013 and we found that the registered provider met the regulations we assessed.
The service is registered to provide accommodation for up to 24 people who require assistance with personal care, some of whom may be living with dementia. The home is situated in Swinefleet, a village close to the town of Goole, in the East Riding of Yorkshire. The property is on the main road in the centre of the village and there is a small car park to the front of the premises.
The registered provider is required to have a registered manager in post and on the day of the inspection there was a manager in post who was registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC). A registered manager 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.
At this inspection we found that the service was safe. People’s needs were assessed and comprehensive risk assessments put in place to reduce the risk of avoidable harm. Staff had received training on safeguarding adults from abuse and understood their responsibilities in respect of reporting any concerns.
Staff who had responsibility for the administration of medication had completed appropriate training. Medicines were administered safely by staff and the arrangements for storage and recording were robust.
People were supported to make decisions and their rights were protected in line with relevant legislation and guidance.
The service had an effective recruitment process and this ensured only people considered suitable to work with vulnerable people had been employed. We saw that there were sufficient numbers of staff employed to meet the needs of people who lived at the home.
Staff told us they were happy with the training provided for them, and we saw that there were effective induction training and refresher training programmes in place.
People were supported to access healthcare services. We saw that advice and guidance from healthcare professionals was incorporated into care plans to ensure that staff provided effective care and support. People’s nutritional needs were met; their likes, dislikes and special diets were known by staff and were catered for.
People using the service were positive about the caring attitudes of staff. We observed that staff were kind, caring and attentive to people’s needs and that they respected people’s privacy and dignity. Staff encouraged people to make decisions and have choice and control over their daily routines.
We saw that there were systems in place to assess and record people’s needs so that staff could provide personalised care and support. Care plans were updated regularly and information shared so that staff were aware of people’s changing needs.
People told us they were able to make comments, complaints or raise concerns although they had not needed to.
The manager was proactive in monitoring the quality of care and support provided and in driving improvements within the service. There was clear organisation and leadership with good communication between the registered provider, registered manager and staff. We observed that records were well maintained.