9 February 2017
During a routine inspection
The Poplars is registered to provide accommodation for up to six adults with learning disabilities who require personal care. At the time of the inspection there were three people living at the service.
At the previous inspection on 14 and 15 January 2016 we found the provider had not acted in accordance with the principles of the Mental Capacity act 2005 and associated code of practice. This was a breach of Regulation 11 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) regulations 2014, which relates to consent.
At this inspection we found that the home had made significant improvements to address the areas of concern. The registered manager and staff understood the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005 and applied its principles in their work. The MCA protects the rights of people who may not be able to make particular decisions themselves.
The service did not have a registered manager. 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. However, the community support leader of the service had submitted an application to become the registered manager.
Staff understood their responsibilities to identify and report all concerns in relation to safeguarding people from abuse. Staff had completed safeguarding training.
The service sought people's views and opinions and acted upon them. Relatives told us they were confident they would be listened to and action would be taken if they raised a concern. Where risks to people had been identified risk assessments were in place and action had been taken to manage the risks. Staff were aware of people's needs and followed guidance to keep them safe.
People received their medicines as prescribed. Records confirmed where people needed support with their medicines, they were supported by staff that had been appropriately trained.
Staff spoke positively about the support they received from the community support leader. Staff had access to effective supervision.
People were supported by staff who had the skills and training to carry out their roles and responsibilities. People benefitted from caring relationships with the staff who had a caring approach to their work. The service had robust recruitment procedures and conducted background checks to ensure staff were suitable for their role.
Staff and the community support leader shared the visions and values of the service and these were embedded within service delivery. The service had systems to assess the quality of the service provided. Learning from audits were used to improve the service.
People were supported to maintain good health. Various health professionals were involved in assessing, planning and evaluating people's care and treatment. People had sufficient to eat and drink. Where people needed assistance with eating and drinking they were supported appropriately.