Archived: Eleni House

Services for people with learning disabilities and or autism are supported

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.

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

The service did not have effective measures in place to ensure the environment people lived in was safe. We identified shortfalls in recruitment and medicines administration which had not been identified and addressed in a timely way.

Staff were trained, and competency assessed to administer people's medicines safely. However, staff did not always follow the provider’s policy when administering medicines. We recommended further work is carried out to improve the current system in place for auditing medicines to ensure the identification of medicines errors.

Staff understood how to recognise and report any concerns they had about people's safety and well-being. There was not always enough staff due to current vacancies, but this was being addressed. The provider’s policy in relation to safe recruitment practices had not been followed which meant not all safety checks had been carried out.

Staff were provided with a variety of training relevant to their roles. We identified further work was needed to ensure staff were provided with accredited training with competency assessment to ensure they were able to mobilise people safely.

Staff monitored people's weight for signs of changes and where necessary referred people for specialist advice and support. Most people had been assessed at high or medium risk of choking. However, not everyone had a care plan in place to guide staff in the steps they should take to keep people safe.

People's records provided information reflective of their personal histories and backgrounds. This included information in assessment of people's diverse, religious and cultural needs. Where religious and cultural needs had been identified further work was needed to ensure care plans described what action staff should then take to meet these diverse needs.

People using the service were older adults. We recommended further work be carried out to assess people’s needs and wishes in the event of sudden death or the need for palliative care support. The registered manager was in the process of implementing a new system of care planning to address these shortfalls.

People's capacity in relation to day to day decisions had been assessed. People were supported to have 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 support this practice.

The service worked with other organisations and people were supported to access a range of healthcare services. People had access to specialist advice and support to meet their health care needs when needed.

Most people using the service have limited verbal communication skills and some complex health care needs which meant they were unable to verbally communicate when in pain. We recommended work be carried out to implement pain assessment tools for people with limited ability to verbally express themselves.

The registered manager had a system for recording and managing complaints but had not received any since the last inspection.

The service consistently 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.

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

Rating at last inspection The last rating for this service was Good (published 26 May 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.

Eleni House is a residential care home that provides care and support for up to eight people who have a learning disability, complex needs and/or autistic spectrum disorder. At the time of our inspection there were eight people living in the service.

At the last inspection, the service was rated good and at this inspection we found the service remains good.

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.

People received a safe service and were protected from the risk of harm. There were enough staff who had been safely recruited to help keep people safe and to meet their needs. Medicines management was good and people received their medicines as prescribed.

People were cared for by experienced, supported and trained staff. The service supported people to have as much choice and control over their lives in the least restrictive way possible.

People had a choice of balanced, healthy and nutritious meals and were able to eat their meal where and when they wanted. Nutritional assessments were in place which identified what food and drink people needed to keep them well and what they liked to eat.

People received support that was personalised to them and met their individual needs and wishes. People were encouraged to be as independent as possible but where additional support was needed this was provided respectfully. Staff respected people’s privacy and dignity and interacted with people in a caring, compassionate and professional manner.

People and their relatives were fully involved in the assessment and care planning process. Their care plans had been regularly reviewed to reflect their changing needs. People were encouraged and supported to participate in a range of activities to suit their individual interests. Complaints were dealt with appropriately in a timely way.

Relatives were positive about the quality of the service. The registered manager and the staff team were committed to providing people with good quality person centred care that met their needs and preferences. There were effective systems in place to monitor the quality of the service and to drive improvements.

The service met all relevant fundamental standards.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.