This was an announced inspection which took place on 17 March 2017.The service offers accommodation and support to three people who have learning disabilities. The home is a domestic sized house, set within a housing estate. Accommodation is provided on one floor. Individuals have their own bedrooms and there are spacious communal areas.
There was a registered manager in post when we inspected the service. 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.
The service worked to ensure there were sufficient number of staff to meet the needs of people using the service. The registered manager told us a minimum ratio of two staff to three people was required for 14½ hours of each day shift and two staff to sleep at the home during the night.
An internal support team managed the provision of agency staff cover. The registered manager told us this team approached different agencies and consequently a lot of different agency staff had worked at the service over the past six weeks. This meant there was a risk many different staff entering the home who people were not familiar with, may lead to them feeling unsettled.
People participated in activities such as arts and crafts, reading, taking part in various community activities such as shopping and walking in the local area. People were also encouraged to engage in daily routines such as cleaning and tidying their rooms, laundry and preparation of their meals.
Meaningful activities were arranged for people which they said they enjoyed. The registered manager told us they were currently looking at setting long and short term personal goals for people as it had been highlighted during a recent review that these had not been set to ensure people were experiencing sufficient person centred activities.
Risk assessments had been completed and guidance on how to provide care in response to these were available in people’s care records.
Staff had the knowledge and confidence to identify safeguarding concerns and who to report these to. Staff told us they had received safeguarding training and we confirmed this from training records. Staff were aware of different types of abuse people may experience and the action they needed to take if they suspected abuse was happening.
Medicines were managed safely. We observed medicines being administered. Staff administered medicines as prescribed and signed for medicines when they were sure these had been taken.
The ordering, storage and disposal of medicines was well managed. Stock levels were regularly checked to ensure there were sufficient medicines available to people according to what they had been prescribed.
Systems were in place to track when staff training was due and to ensure this had been completed. Where staff were due training, this had been scheduled accordingly. Staff told us they were confident the training they received equipped them with the skills and knowledge necessary for them to support people in line with their needs.
There were positive caring interactions from staff towards people using the service. Staff knew how to support people to be independent; giving them choices. People’s care records had details of their preferences, likes and dislikes. Staff were also aware of these and knew people well.
The registered manager was accessible and approachable throughout our inspection. Staff, relatives and people who used the service told us the registered manager was available if they needed to speak with her and had confidence in their abilities to manage the service.