Archived: Owston View

Updated 30 December 2017

We carried out this inspection 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 registered 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 27 November 2017 and was unannounced. The inspection team consisted of two adult social care inspectors.

Prior to our inspection we asked the registered provider to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the registered provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. The registered provider returned the PIR within our requested timescale.

We reviewed all the information we held about the home. We also contacted commissioners of the service, the local authority safeguarding team, Healthwatch (Doncaster) and other stakeholders for any relevant information they held about Owston View. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England. We received feedback from Doncaster local authority contract officers, commissioners and the safeguarding team and Healthwatch (Doncaster).

In order to understand what people’s experience was of living in the home we carried out a Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI) in a lounge/dining room area of the home. SOFI is a way of observing care to help us determine the experience of people who could not talk with us.

During the visit we spoke with 12 people who used the service and six of their relatives. We spoke with the registered manager, the director of operations and the regional operations director. We also spoke with six staff including care team managers, care workers and ancillary staff. We looked at three care plans, three staff files and records associated with the monitoring of the service.

Updated 30 December 2017

This inspection took place on 27 November 2017 and was unannounced. This means prior to the inspection people were not aware we were inspecting the service on that day.

Owston View is a purpose built care home with accommodation on two floors. The home is situated in Carcroft, Doncaster and is registered to accommodate up to 36 people. On the day of our inspection there were 24 people living in the home.

There was a registered manager employed at the service. 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.

Our last inspection at Owston View took place on 14 December 2016. The home was rated as ‘Requires Improvement’ overall, with the ‘Caring’ domain rated as ‘Good’.

At this inspection we found improvements had been made and have rated the service ‘Good’ overall.

Some people who used the service and their relatives felt there were not always a sufficient number of staff on duty. However the registered manager kept this monitored and made sure numbers were above the minimum required. The senior managers reassured us they would continue to keep staffing numbers under close review and increase them as and when required.

The premises were effectively maintained and safety checks undertaken on a regular basis, including checks with regard to fire safety. Risk assessments were in place related to the environment and the delivery of care.

The registered provider's recruitment processes minimised the risk of unsuitable staff being employed.

Staff received mandatory training in a number of areas, which assisted them to support people effectively. The registered manager had a plan in place to ensure staff supervisions and appraisals were completed in line with the registered providers policy.

The service was meeting the requirements of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards. Staff had an understanding of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards.

People were supported to maintain a healthy diet and had access to healthcare professionals to help maintain their wellbeing. Staff responded promptly when they were made aware of anyone with a health concern.

People and their relatives spoke positively about the staff at the service, describing them as kind and caring. In the main staff treated people with dignity and respect, although we did observe some practice which did not fully promote people’s dignity.

Staff knew the people they were supporting well, and throughout our inspection we saw all staff, including the senior manager’s, having friendly and meaningful conversations with people.

The planning and delivery of activities would benefit from being enhanced and improved to make sure it meets the needs of all people who use the service.

The service had a complaints policy, which was publicly advertised and accessible to people. People and their relatives told us they knew how to complain and would be confident to do so.

People, relatives and staff spoke positively about the registered manager saying they were accessible and included them in the running of the service. The registered provider’s representatives carried out a number of quality assurance checks to monitor and improve standards at the service.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.