SENSE - 18 Water Gate

Updated 10 October 2017

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

This inspection took place on 14 August 2017 and was announced. We announced the inspection as people and the staff who supported them often spent time away from the home and we wanted to be sure there was someone at the home. The inspection team consisted of a single inspector.

Before the inspection we reviewed the information we held about the home. This included any incidents the provider was required to tell us about by law and concerns that had been raised with us by the public or health professionals who visited the home. We also reviewed information sent to us by the local authority who commission care for some people living at the home. Before the inspection, the provider completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the home, what the home does well and improvements they plan to make.

During the inspection spent time observing care. We spoke with a care worker and the registered manager. We looked at two care plans and other records which recorded the care people received. In addition, we examined records relating to how the home was run including staffing, training and quality assurance.

Updated 10 October 2017

The inspection took place on 14 August 2017 and was announced.

Sense – 18 Watergate is a care home which provides personal care for up to five people who experience a range of learning disabilities, physical disabilities and sensory impairments. The accommodation includes private ensuite bedrooms and shared communal areas. There were five people living at the home when we inspected.

At the last inspection, the service was rated Good.

At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

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. Where necessary people had been referred for a Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards assessment and staff supported people to make choices about their care.

Staff received appropriate training and support to ensure that the care provided was safe and met people’s needs. This allowed staff to ensure that medicines were managed safely and that risks to people were identified and care was planned to keep minimise risks. Staff had received training in how to keep people safe from abuse and knew how to raise concerns. Thorough recruitment checks ensured that staff were safe to work at the home with vulnerable people.

Care plans fully reflected people’s needs and supported staff to provide personalised care. People were able to make choices about their meals and helped staff to prepare their meals. Where needed food was modified to appropriate textures for people to eat safely and the equipment provided at meal times supported people’s independence. Activities offered supported people to engage with their local community and enabled them to live a busy life.

There were effective audits in place to monitor the quality of care that people received. Systems supported people using the service and their families to raise any concerns they had about the care provided. The registered manager kept up to date with changes in best practice.