Timber Grove

Updated 24 May 2018

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection checked 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 service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

The comprehensive inspection took place on the 3 May 2018 and was unannounced. The inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Prior to the inspection, we reviewed all the information we held about the service including statutory notifications we had received about the service. Notifications are changes, events or incidents that the provider is legally obliged to send us. We also reviewed a Provider Information Return (PIR). A PIR is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

Not all people living at Timber Grove were able to speak with us so we used observation as our main tool to find out about the care they were receiving. During our inspection we spoke with two relatives, three members of staff, deputy manager and the registered manager. We also received feedback about the service from two health and social care professionals.

We looked at a range of documents and written records including two people's care plans, risk assessments and daily records of care and support. We reviewed staff training and supervision records and staff rotas. We also looked at quality assurance systems to see how the service was being managed and monitored.

Updated 24 May 2018

The inspection took place on 3 May 2018 and was unannounced.

Timber Grove is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Timber Grove accommodates up to 15 people in an adapted single storey building who may have a physical disability, learning disability or sensory impairment. The service does not provide nursing care. On the day of our inspection, 11 people were living at Timber Grove.

At our last inspection on the 4 and 8 February 2016, we rated the service Good. At this inspection, we found the evidence continued to support the overall rating of Good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and on-going monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

The service embraces 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.

The service requires and did have a registered manager. 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.

There were adequate numbers of staff to help keep people safe, meet their needs and protect them from harm and abuse. Risks to people’s health and wellbeing were appropriately assessed, managed and reviewed. There were safe systems in place for receiving, administering and disposing of medicines.

People were supported by staff that had the skills and experience needed to provide effective care. Staff had an understanding of the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). 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. People were supported to eat and drink enough and maintain a balanced diet and to access health and social care services when required.

People were cared for by staff who knew people well and were kind and sensitive to their needs. Staff ensured people’s privacy and dignity was respected and maintained at all times, and their independence promoted.

There was a strong emphasis on person centred care. Care plans were regularly reviewed and, where able, people were proactively supported to plan their care and support to ensure they received a service that was based on their personal needs and wishes. People were encouraged and supported by staff to pursue their interests and hobbies and activities were tailored around people’s likes, choices and abilities.

The registered manager demonstrated their commitment to learn and implement best practice, ensuring people had a good quality of life. Staff were motivated and proud to work at the service. Effective systems were in place to assess and monitor the quality of the service. The registered manager was able to demonstrate how they measured and analysed the care and support provided to people, and how this ensured that the service was operating safely and was continually improving to meet people’s needs.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.