Archived: John Pounds House

Updated 13 March 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 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 inspection took place on 12 February 2018 and was unannounced. The inspection was carried out by one inspector and an Expert by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Prior to our inspection we reviewed the information we held about the service which included any safeguarding alerts and notifications that the provider had sent to CQC. Notifications are information about important events which the service is required to tell us about by law. We also looked at a Provider Information Return (PIR). The PIR is information we require providers to send us at least once annually to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

During the inspection we spoke with six people who used the service and two relatives. We talked to the registered manager and two staff members working for the service. After the inspection we contacted one health and social care professional for their feedback about the services provided for people.

During the inspection we looked at three people’s care plans, three staff files and reviewed records related to medicines management, staff training and recruitment, quality assurance audits and other aspects of the service management.

Updated 13 March 2018

This service is a domiciliary care agency. John Pounds House is a supported living service for adults with mental health needs. This service provides personal care for people living in the building spread over three floors and with 20 self-contained flats. There were 19 people using the service at the time of this inspection.

This inspection took place on 12 February 2018 and was unannounced.

At the last inspection, carried out on 14 December 2015, the service was rated Good. At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

At the time of the inspection the service had a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the CQC 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.

There were robust systems in place for monitoring and recording any concerns received in relation to people being at risk to harm. Risk assessments were followed by staff to reduce known risks to people’s well- being. Staff undertook pre-employment checks which ensured they were suitable for their role. Staff supported people to learn to manage their medicines independently. Infection control and fire safety measures were in place and followed by staff as necessary.

The staff team was provided with internal and external training which met their role expectations. People were encouraged to learn to prepare their own meals. Thorough initial assessments were carried out to determine if the service was able to support people with their care needs. Staff assisted people to attend their health appointments if they needed support. People lived in self-contained flats that that were spacious and suited them. Staff were clear on the actions they had to take if people’s capacity was doubted to make their own decisions.

People felt their private life was respected. Staff were caring and listened if people had any concerns that needed addressing. Staff were aware of people’s preferences and supported people the way they wanted to be cared for. People had assistance to learn new skills and increase their independence where necessary.

People had their care needs identified and reviewed regularly with the relevant healthcare professionals involved. Staff responded promptly to people’s changing mental and health needs. People had actions plans in place to support them to build social relationships and interact with other people. Staff encouraged people to share and respect their cultural differences. People raised their concerns with the staff team who took actions to resolve the issues as necessary.

People and their relatives said there was good leadership at the service. We saw good team working practices which included sharing experiences and learning to protect people as necessary. The management team provided on- going support for the staff team to ensure good service delivery for people. Quality assurance systems were in place and monitored for any improvements required. The service worked in partnership with external agencies to share information and inform people about the services available in the community.