This inspection visit took place on 31 October 2016 and was unannounced. At the last inspection on 04 July 2014 the service was meeting the requirements of the regulations that were inspected at that time.
Calvert House is registered to provide accommodation for up to eight people who require help with personal care. The service provides care and support for people with an acquired brain injury, physical disability, sensory impairment and mental health conditions. The home is purpose built and accommodation is provided in single en-suite rooms. There is a through floor passenger lift. The home is situated near to Leyland town centre. There were five people living at the home at the time of our inspection.
There was a registered manager in place. 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.
We looked at the recruitment of two staff members. We found appropriate checks had been undertaken before they had commenced their employment, confirming they were safe to work with vulnerable people.
Staff spoken with and records seen confirmed a structured induction training and development programme was in place. Staff received regular training and were knowledgeable about their roles and responsibilities. They had the skills, knowledge and experience required to support people with their care and social needs.
Staff spoken with and records seen confirmed training had been provided to enable them to support people who lived with physical disabilities, acquired brain injuries and mental health problems . We found staff were knowledgeable about the support needs of people in their care.
We found the registered manager had systems to record safeguarding concerns, accidents and incidents and take necessary action as required. Staff had received safeguarding training and understood their responsibilities to report unsafe care or abusive practices.
The registered manager understood the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). This meant they were working within the law to support people who may lack capacity to make their own decisions.
The environment was maintained, clean and hygienic when we visited. We spoke with two people who lived at the home who both said they were happy with the standard of hygiene at the home.
We found sufficient staffing levels were in place to provide support people required. We saw staff members could undertake tasks supporting people without feeling rushed. Staffing was also provided to enable people to access the community.
We found equipment used by staff to support people had been maintained and serviced to ensure they were safe for use.
We found medication procedures at the home were safe. Staff responsible for the administration of medicines had received training to ensure they had the competency and skills required. Medicines were safely kept with appropriate arrangements for storing in place.
People who were able told us they were happy with the variety and choice of meals available to them. We saw regular snacks and drinks were provided between meals to ensure people received adequate nutrition and hydration.
People told us they enjoyed the activities organised by the service. These were arranged both individually and in groups.
The service had a complaints procedure which was made available to people on their admission to the home. People we spoke with told us they were happy and had no complaints.
Care plans were organised and had identified the care and support people required. We found they were informative about care people had received. They had been kept under review and updated when necessary to reflect people’s changing needs.
We found people had access to healthcare professionals and their healthcare needs were met. Records confirmed the service sought guidance and support from healthcare professionals when appropriate.
We observed staff supporting people with their care during the inspection visit. We saw they were kind, caring, patient and attentive.
The registered manager used a variety of methods to assess and monitor the quality of the service. These included satisfaction surveys and care reviews. We found people were satisfied with the service they received.