15 May 2017
During a routine inspection
The service had a registered manager in post. 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.
At this inspection we found a breach of regulations because pressure relieving equipment was not always used safely. Improvement was required because systems were not in place to monitor the use of pressure relieving equipment to ensure it was safely used, and action had not always been taken in response to audit findings to improve the quality and safety of the service. Improvement was also required to ensure the service consistently complied with any conditions placed on people’s Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) authorisations.
People were protected from the risk of abuse because staff were aware of the action to take if they suspected abuse had occurred. Medicines were administered to people as prescribed and were stored securely. The provider followed safe recruitment practices when employing new staff and there were sufficient staff deployed within the service to meet people’s needs.
Staff received an induction when starting work at the service and were supported in their roles through training and regular supervision. People were supported to access a range of healthcare services when required and to maintain a balanced diet. Staff were aware of the importance of seeking consent from the people they supported and worked within the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) where people had been assessed as lacking capacity to make decisions for themselves.
People and relatives told us that staff were caring and considerate. Staff treated people with dignity and respected their privacy. People were involved in day to day decisions about their care and treatment and people and relatives also had involvement in their support planning. Support plans included information about people’s individual needs and preferences.
The provider had guidance in place on how to raise complaints in formats suitable for people’s needs. People and relatives told us they knew how to raise a complaint should they need to do so. Staff spoke positively about the management of the service and told us they worked well as a team. People and relatives’ views on the service were sought through an annual survey and the feedback received by the service indicated they were happy with the care and support they received.