36 West Street

Updated 13 July 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 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 service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This inspection took place on 14 June 2018 and was unannounced. This meant the people living at West Street and the staff who worked there did not know we were coming.

The inspection team consisted of two adult social care inspectors.

Before the inspection visit we reviewed the information we held about the service, including the Provider Information Return (PIR) which the registered provider completed before the inspection. The PIR is a form that asks the registered provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We also reviewed notifications of any accidents and other incidents we had received. Notifications are changes, events or incidents the registered provider is legally obliged to send us within required timescales.

We gathered information from the local authority and Healthwatch. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England. This information was reviewed and used to assist with our inspection.

During our inspection we used different methods to help us understand the experiences of people living at the service. These methods included informal observations throughout our inspection. Our observations enabled us to see how staff interacted with people and see how care was provided.

We communicated with three people, verbally, through the use of sign language and through observed facial expressions, body language and gestures. For example, a smile may indicate a person was happy or content. We also spoke over the telephone with two relatives of people who used the service.

We looked around different areas of the service, which included some communal areas, bathrooms, and with their permission, some people’s rooms/flats.

We spoke with the registered manager, the senior support worker and the three support workers on duty at the time of our inspection.

We reviewed a range of records, which included two people’s care plans, three staff support and employment records, training, supervision and appraisal records and other records relating to the management of the service. This included quality assurance audits and safety records for the building and the equipment in the home.

Updated 13 July 2018

36 West Street 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.

36 West Street is owned by Voyage 1 Limited. It is situated in the Wombwell area of Barnsley and is registered to provide accommodation and personal care for six people with learning disabilities. The accommodation is provided on two floors. On the ground floor there is a lounge, activities room, dining area, a purpose built kitchen and four bedrooms which have direct access to a bathroom or shower area. On the first floor there are two self-contained flats.

At the time of this inspection six people were living at West Street.

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

Why the service is rated Good.

People living at West Street told us they felt safe and they liked the staff. Some people who we could not verbally communicate with were able to express their happiness and satisfaction with the care they received through sign language, or by their observed facial expressions, body language and gestures.

Relatives we spoke with felt their family member was in a safe place and spoke positively about the standard of care and support their family member received.

Staff were aware of their responsibilities in keeping people safe.

Policies and procedures for the safe handling of medicines were in place.

The recruitment procedures in operation promoted people’s safety.

New staff completed a thorough induction and all staff received regular training to support them in their roles.

People are supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff support them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service support this practice.

People’s support plans were centred around the person and contained relevant and detailed information and had been reviewed to ensure they were up to date.

We found that staff were knowledgeable about the people they cared for and saw they interacted positively with people living in the home.

People had access to a range of health care professionals to help maintain their health. A varied diet was provided, which took into account dietary needs and preferences so people's health was promoted and choices could be respected.

We found the home was clean, bright and well maintained. People’s rooms and/or flats had been personalised and communal areas were comfortably furnished.

A range of activities were available both inside and outside the home to provide people with leisure opportunities.

People living at the home and their relatives said they could speak with staff and the registered manager if they had any worries or concerns and they would be listened to.

There were systems in place to monitor and improve the quality of the service provided.

Safety and maintenance checks for the premises and equipment were in place and up to date.