Archived: St Matthew Road

Updated 30 December 2016

We carried out this inspection of St Matthew Road 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 unannounced inspection took place on 1 December 2016 and was carried out by one inspector.

We checked the information we held about the service and the provider, such as notifications. A notification is information about important events which the provider is required to send us by law. Before the inspection, the provider completed 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 used this information to help plan our inspection.

During the inspection we spoke with four people using the service and a health professional who was visiting the service. We also spoke with the registered manager, deputy manager and five members of the care team.

We looked at care plans for six people including their medicine administration records. We also looked at other records held at the service including staff recruitment, staff supervisions, appraisals and training records. We reviewed further records related to the management of the service including feedback from people, their relatives, quality assurance audits and health and safety documents.

We observed interactions between staff and people who used the service.

Updated 30 December 2016

St Matthew Road provides personal care, support and accommodation for up to 10 people with a learning disability. This unannounced inspection took place on 1 December 2016. At the time of the inspection nine people were living at the service.

We last inspected St Matthew Road in January 2014. The service met all the regulations we checked at that time.

The service had 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.

People were protected from the risk of abuse. Staff were aware of abuse and understood the safeguarding procedures in place about how to report any concerns to protect people from possible harm. Staff assessed risks to people and the registered manager put plans in place to reduce the impact of those risks. Accidents and incidents involving people were monitored and plans were put in place to prevent a recurrence. People received support from staff suitable for their role. The provider recruited staff in a safe and robust manner. There were sufficient members of staff to meet people's needs. People’s medicines were managed appropriately and administered safely from staff assessed as competent to do so.

Staff received the training and support they needed to undertake their roles. Staff attended specific training to help enhance them to understand people’s individual needs and how to support them. People gave consent before staff provided their care and treatment. Staff respected people’s wishes and preferences. People who were unable to express their wishes or make their own decisions, received appropriate support from staff in line with the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. This ensured staff made ‘best interests’ decisions on their behalf. People received food and drink appropriate for their nutritional needs and preferences. People had access to healthcare professionals when needed and received care and treatment they required to maintain their health.

People had developed positive relationships with staff. People were involved in planning their care. Staff treated people with dignity and respected their privacy.

People received individualised care. People’s needs were assessed to identify each person’s needs and wishes. People had care plans that staff regularly reviewed to ensure people received support in line with their changing needs and preferences. The service worked positively with healthcare professionals and organisations to ensure people’s needs were met.

People felt confident to raise concerns and make a complaint if they were unhappy about their care. The registered manager encouraged people to feedback about the service and used their views to improve the service.

The service had an open and positive culture. Staff were supported to undertake their roles. The registered manager together with the provider carried out checks and audits to monitor the service and identify areas for improvement.