Avenues South East - 320 Hempstead Road

Updated 21 March 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 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.

This was a comprehensive inspection, which took place because we carry out comprehensive inspections of services rated Good at least once every two years. This inspection took place on 07 February 2017 and was unannounced. The inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Before the inspection, we asked the provider to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR). This 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. We looked at previous inspection reports and notifications about important events that had taken place in the service, which the provider is required to tell us by law. We used all this information to decide which areas to focus on during our inspection.

We spoke with two people who used the service. Both people we spoke with required one to one staff support at certain periods of the day because of their complex needs. People’s ability to communicate was limited, so we were unable to talk with everyone. One person was able to use sign language with staff support. We observed people, care and support in communal areas throughout our visit and to help us to understand the experiences people had. We used our Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a specific way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us.

We spoke with four support workers, the registered manager and the visiting area manager. We also requested information via email from healthcare professionals involved in the service. These included professionals from the community mental health team, care managers, continuing healthcare professionals, NHS and the GP.

We looked at the provider’s records. These included two people’s care records, which included care plans, health records, risk assessments and daily care records. We looked at two staff files, a sample of audits, satisfaction surveys, staff rotas, and policies and procedures.

We asked the registered manager to send additional information after the inspection visit, including training records, annual survey report, activities schedules and some audits. The information we requested was sent to us in a timely manner.

Updated 21 March 2017

The inspection was carried out on 07 February 2017, and was an unannounced inspection.

Avenues South East - 320 Hempstead Road is a residential home providing care and support for four people with learning disabilities, autism and limited verbal communication. The service is part of a group managed by the Avenues Trust. At the time of our visit, four people lived at Avenues South East - 320 Hempstead Road.

At the last Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection on 22 July 2014, the service was rated Good in all domains and overall.

At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

People continued to be safe at Avenues South East - 320 Hempstead Road. People were protected against the risk of abuse. We observed that people felt safe in the service. Staff recognised the signs of abuse or neglect and what to look out for. Medicines were managed safely and people received them as prescribed.

Staff knew how to protect people from the risk of abuse or harm. They followed appropriate guidance to minimise identified risks to people's health, safety and welfare. There were enough staff to keep people safe. The provider had appropriate arrangements in place to check the suitability and fitness of new staff.

Each person had an up to date, personalised support plan, which set out how their care and support needs should be met by staff. These were reviewed regularly. Staff received regular training and supervision to help them to meet people's needs effectively.

People were supported to eat and drink enough to meet their needs. They also received the support they needed to stay healthy and to access healthcare services. Staff encouraged people to actively participate in activities, pursue their interests and to maintain relationships with people that mattered to them.

The Care Quality Commission is required by law to monitor the operation of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards. The provider and staff understood their responsibilities under the Mental Capacity Act 2005.

Staff were caring and treated people with dignity and respect ensuring people's privacy was maintained, particularly when being supported with their personal care needs. 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.

The registered manager ensured the complaints procedure was made available in an accessible format if people wished to make a complaint. Regular checks and reviews of the service continued to be made to ensure people experienced good quality safe care and support.

The registered manager provided good leadership. They checked staff were focussed on people

experiencing good quality care and support. People and staff were encouraged to provide feedback about how the service could be improved. This was used to make changes and improvements that people wanted.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.