This inspection was carried out on 03 July 2017 and was unannounced. At our last inspection of the service on 13 May 2015, the home was rated 'good' in all of the five key questions we asked of services and 'good' overall. Melba Lodge Limited provides support and accommodation for up to four people with mental health needs. At the time of our inspection there were four people living at the service.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.
At this inspection we found breaches of regulations because environmental risks to people were not always safely managed and guidance was not always in place for staff on how to manage identified risks safely. We also identified a further breach because the provider had not always followed safe recruitment practices when employing new staff.
You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of the report.
People received their medicines as prescribed and medicine stocks were securely stored. However, improvement was required because the temperature of the medicines storage area was not accurately monitored. This meant we were unable to determine whether the storage area remained within the appropriate temperature range for the safe storage of medicines.
The provider had systems in place to monitor the quality and safety of the service people received, but further improvement was required because checks of staff files had not identified the issues we found with recruitment records and checks made on people’s medicines had not identified the need to monitor the storage area temperature.
People told us there were sufficient staff to meet their needs and that they felt safe at the service. They were protected from the risk of abuse because staff had received training in safeguarding adults and were aware of the action to take if they suspected abuse had occurred.
Staff received support in their roles through regular training and supervision. They were aware of the importance of seeking consent from the people they supported and told us people had capacity to make decisions for themselves. People confirmed staff sought their consent and respected their choices. They were involved in decisions about their day to day care and treatment and told us staff treated them with dignity and respected their dignity.
Staff treated people with care and consideration. People were supported to maintain a balanced diet and had access to a range of healthcare services when they needed them. People were involved in discussions about their care planning. Care plans were person centred and reflected people’s individual needs and preferences. The provider had a complaints policy and procedure in place which gave guidance to people on what they could expect if they raised a complaint. People told us they knew how to raise concerns and would do so, if they needed to.
Staff spoke positively about the registered manager and the working culture at the service. They told us they felt well supported in their roles and could discuss any issues with the registered manager when they needed to. People were supported to take part in a range of activities in support of their interests, and to maintain the relationships that were important to them. The provider had systems in place for seeking feedback from people on the service they received, and feedback showed people were experiencing positive outcomes whilst living at the service.