Archived: SeeAbility - Derby Lodge

Seeability - Derby Lodge is a care home providing personal to 8 people with a visual impairment who may also have a learning disability, physical disability, acquired brain injuries or degenerative conditions. At the time of the inspection the service was supporting eight people in one adapted building.

The service has been developed and designed in line with the principles and values that underpin Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. This ensures that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes. The principles reflect the need for people with learning disabilities and/or autism to live meaningful lives that include control, choice, and independence. People using the service receive planned and co-ordinated person-centred support that is appropriate and inclusive for them.

The service was a small home. There were deliberately no identifying signs, to indicate it was a care home. Staff were also discouraged from wearing anything that suggested they were care staff when coming and going with people.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

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

The service applied the principles and values of Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These ensure that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes that include control, choice and independence.

The outcomes for people using the service reflected the principles and values of Registering the Right Support by promoting choice and control, independence and inclusion. People's support focused on them having as many opportunities as possible for them to gain new skills and become more independent.

People continued to benefit from kind and committed staff. Relatives complimented the support received and told us they formed meaningful, caring relationships with the staff. Staff knew what was important to people and ensured people had care that met their needs and choices. People's dignity, confidentiality and privacy were respected, and their independence was promoted.

People received support that met their needs and was in line with care plans and good practice. People's rights to make own decisions were respected. People were encouraged to maintain good diet and access health services when required.

The registered manager ensured people received safe care and treatment. Relatives complimented the continuity of care provided by skilled and competent staff. People received their medicines safely and as prescribed. Risks to people's well-being were assessed, recorded and updated when people's circumstances changed. The staff ensured any lessons learnt were reflected to improve the service delivery.

The service was well run by the registered manager who was supported by a team of committed staff. The provider's quality assurance processes were effective and there was a focus on continuous improvement. Where an area for improvement had been identified there was a prompt action taken to address it.

People, staff and relatives were involved and felt listened to. The team at Seeability - Derby Lodge worked well in partnership with other agencies, social and health professionals and external organisations.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection:

Good, report published 26 November 2016

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up:

We will monitor all intelligence received about the service to inform the assessment of the risk profile of the service and to ensure the next planned inspection is scheduled accordingly.

Seeability - Derby Lodge is a care home providing support to up to eight people with a visual impairment who may also have a learning disability, physical disability, acquired brain injuries or degenerative conditions.

There was a registered manager in post. 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.

Staff understood their role in safeguarding people. They had received training and demonstrated a good understanding of how they would protect people from abuse of potential harm. Staff routinely carried out risk assessments and created plans to minimise known hazards whilst encouraging people’s independence.

We found that policies and procedures were in place to keep people safe in the event of emergencies. People had individual plans to keep them safe in the event of an emergency and there were contingency plans in place.

People received their medicines safely. Medicines were stored safely and systems were in place to ensure medicine stock could be monitored and audited.

Staff training was tailored to the individual needs of people who lived at the home. Staff told us that they had good access to training and people and relatives told us that staff were effective in their roles.

Staff provided care in line with the Mental Capacity Act (2005) (MCA). Records demonstrated that people’s rights were protected as staff acted in accordance with the MCA when being supported to make specific decisions. Where people had restrictions placed upon them, these were applied for appropriately.

Staff followed the guidance of healthcare professionals where appropriate and we saw evidence of staff working alongside healthcare professionals to achieve positive outcomes for people.

People were supported to eat in line with their preferences and dietary requirements. We did note that people were not involved in writing menus but the registered manager was already in the process of making changes at the time of our inspection.

Staff treated people with dignity and respect. All caring interactions that we observed were positive and staff provided support to people in a way that promoted their dignity.

Information in care plans reflected the needs and personalities of people that we spoke to. People had choice about activities they wished to do and staff encouraged people to pursue new interests. People were supported to access advocacy services where appropriate and staff understood the role advocates played in promoting people’s rights.

Systems were in place to measure the quality of the care that people received. The registered manager had identified improvements and was in the process of making these at the time of our inspection. Improvements had been made to the way in which people provided feedback to improve the quality of their care.

Staff told us that they were well supported by management and were encouraged to make suggestions or raise concerns. People and relatives told us that they had a positive relationship with the registered manager.

Records showed a multi-disciplinary approach to meeting needs, involving others acting on people's behalf. Consent to care and treatment had been obtained from those who knew and understood them well. The approach to care planning was person-centred, ensuring consistency and safe practice. Guidelines helped staff's understanding of people's individual communication methods. This enabled people to benefit from a service that respected their wishes and rights. The three relatives we spoke with were all pleased with the care provided by Derby Lodge. " I can't fault it" and " Fantastic" were some of their comments. However they had all experienced shortfalls in communication and felt this was an area for improvement.

The design and layout of the premises, maintenance and risk management activities ensured the safety and security of the environment. Procedures were in place to minimise risk of peoples' care needs not being met in the event of emergencies, for example, a power failure or fire. A system was in place for responding to complaints from people and those acting on their behalf.

Relatives provided positive feedback about the care and support their family members received at the home. One relative told us 'I cannot speak highly enough of the service and care [resident] receives from all the staff at Derby Lodge. Since being at Derby Lodge her world has opened up. She has been encouraged to experience so much more. All [resident's] family are extremely happy with her care and progress.' Another relative said, 'My family and I are very happy with [resident's] care. The staff are very sensitive to her needs.'

The healthcare professional we spoke with told us that the home promoted people's independence and developed their daily living skills. They said that staff followed guidelines relating to the delivery of people's care appropriately.