Archived: Grafton Road

Updated 29 February 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 was planned to check whether the provider was 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.

The unannounced inspection was carried out by one inspector on 30 September 2015.

The provider had kept us updated of events by sending us relevant notifications. Notifications are reports of accidents, incidents and deaths of service users. We reviewed the information we held about the service. We also reviewed the information we received from other agencies that had an interest in the service, such as the local authority.

The registered manager was on annual leave and we met with two senior support workers and three support workers. We also met with the regional manager.

We met two people who used the service and visited their homes with the permission of their representatives. People who used the service were unable to answer our questions and communicate with us due to their learning disability. To obtain people's views we spoke with four relatives about the care and support their relatives received. We met with one family who were visiting and spoke with three other relatives over the telephone. We observed how people’s needs were met by the staff who worked at the service including how staff interacted with people. We looked at four people’s care plans, their daily care records and records relating to their medication.

We looked at the provider’s staff training plan and record of staff training and we spoke with two senior support workers and two other support workers.

We looked at records relating to quality monitoring including internal and external audits. We looked at the log of complaints and compliments.

Updated 29 February 2016

The inspection took place on 30 September 2015 and was unannounced.

Grafton Road provides care and support to eight people who live in their own homes. People who used the service had a learning disability and required different degrees of help and support. People who used the service were unable to answer our questions us so we spoke with some of their relatives.

Our previous inspection on 4 June 2014 identified that the provider was meeting the standards relating to the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2010. Some relatives of people who used the service felt that there was a need for better communication. At this inspection we found that this had improved.

There was a registered manager in post 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. The registered manager of the home was on annual leave at the time of the inspection.

We found that there were enough suitably qualified staff provided to meet people’s care and support needs. Staff were trained to carry out their role and were provided with appropriate training. The provider had safe recruitment procedures that ensured people were supported by suitable staff.

People’s risks were assessed in a way that kept them safe from the risk of harm. People’s rights to be as independent as possible were respected and promoted.

People who used the service received their medicines safely. Systems were in place that ensured people were protected from risks associated with medicines management.

People who used the service lived in their own homes and were not restricted of their liberty. All of the people who used the service had reduced capacity to make decisions and everyone had undergone a Mental Capacity Assessment. Staff understood how to support people to make decisions. This meant that the provider was adhering to the Mental Capacity Act 2005.

People were supported to eat a healthy well-balanced diet whilst also maintaining their independence and choice in relation to meals. People’s health care needs were monitored and people were enabled to access health care professionals.

Staff were kind and caring and treated people with respect. People’s privacy and dignity were maintained and people’s rights upheld.

People received person centred care and were regularly supported with hobbies and interests that were important to them. People were assisted to maintain close links with family and friends.

People and/or their representatives were regularly involved in the planning and reviewing of their care.

The provider had a complaints procedure available for people who used the service and complaints were appropriately managed.

Staff told us they were supported in their role and the registered manager led the team well. Staff received supervision of their practice and had opportunities to meet regularly as teams.

The provider had systems in place to monitor the service. We saw, since our last inspection on 4 June 2014, the provider had continued to monitor and improve the services provided to people. Relatives of people who used the service felt that improvements had been made and communication was good.