Archived: North West Community Services (Manchester) Limited - 35 Grosvenor Avenue

Updated 21 April 2016

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 was an unannounced inspection which took place on 4 March 2016. The inspection was undertaken by an adult social care inspector.

During the visit we were able to meet and speak with the three people who were staying at the home and one visitor/relative. Following the inspection we also spoke with a health care professional.

We spoke with four staff members including care/support staff and a senior manager. We looked at the care records for two of the people staying at the home including medication records, two staff recruitment files and other records relevant to the quality monitoring of the service. These included safety audits and quality audits including feedback from people living at the home, relatives and staff. We undertook general observations and looked round the home, including people’s bedrooms, bathrooms and the dining/lounge areas.

Updated 21 April 2016

North West Community Services (Manchester) Limited - 35 Grosvenor Avenue is a care home providing accommodation and personal care. It accommodates three people who have a variety of care needs. The accommodation is a detached bungalow in a residential area but is also close to many local amenities and shops.

This was an unannounced inspection which took place on 4 March 2016. The service was last inspected in February 2014 and was meeting standards at that time.

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.

When we spoke with people living at the home they told us they were settled and felt safe at the home. We saw they were relaxed in the company of staff and there was a warm rapport.

To support up to three people being accommodated at the home at any one time we saw there was sufficient staff in place. We saw from the duty rota that staff numbers were consistently in place to provide safe care.

We looked at how staff were recruited and the processes to ensure staff were suitable to work with vulnerable people. We saw checks had been made so that staff employed were ‘fit’ to work with vulnerable people.

We found the home were good at managing risks so that people could be as independent as possible.

We saw there were good systems in place to monitor medication safety and that staff were trained to help ensure their competency so that people received their medicines safely.

The staff we spoke with clearly described how they would recognise abuse and the action they would take to ensure actual or potential harm was reported. Training records confirmed staff had undertaken safeguarding training. All of the staff we spoke with were clear about the need to report any concerns they had.

Arrangements were in place for checking the environment to ensure it was safe. For example, health and safety audits were completed on a regular basis where obvious hazards were identified.

We observed staff interacting with the people they supported. We saw how staff communicated and supported people as individuals. Staff were able to explain in detail each person’s care needs and how they communicated these needs. People we spoke with were aware that staff had the skills and approach needed to ensure people were receiving the right care. The comments we received evidenced people received effective support.

We saw that the home was working within the legal framework of the Mental Capacity Act (2005) [MCA]. This is legislation to protect and empower people who may not be able to make their own decisions. Staff understood about Deprivation of Liberty [DoLS] authorisations and the circumstances this might be used. DoLS is part of the Mental Capacity Act (2005) and aims to ensure people in care homes and hospitals are looked after in a way that does not inappropriately restrict their freedom unless it is in their best interests.

We were told that meal times were flexible. People being supported were encouraged to plan and prepare their own meals on occasions. We also saw evidence that staff tried to promoted healthy eating options and reviewed this on-going with people.

We assessed whether people were treated with dignity, respect, kindness and compassion. One person commented on the caring nature and philosophy in the home and was able to compare it, favourably, with other care homes / services they had been involved with. The interactive skills displayed by the staff when engaged with people were warm and supportive and showed a personalised approach to help ensure people’s wellbeing.

We found that care plans and records included people’s preferences and reflected their identified needs from admission and during their stay. There was good evidence that care plans had been discussed with people on a regular basis so they felt involved in their care. One person said, “I like it here, the staff are lovely. I can get up and go out when I want.”

Processes were in place to seek the views of people living at the home and their families. Managers were able to evidence a series of quality assurance processes and audits carried out. These helped ensure standards of care were maintained consistently as well as providing feedback for on-going development of the service.