8 June 2017
During a routine inspection
The service had 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.
People continued to receive safe care. Staff were appropriately recruited. People were protected from the risk of avoidable harm. Where risks were identified for people while they were receiving support these had been assessed and control measures put in place. People received their medicines in line with their prescription.
There had been a change in how staff were deployed and this had resulted in an increase in agency staff used at the service. Some relatives and staff felt that this had a negative impact on the service that people received although it was improving. There were enough staff available to meet people's needs safely.
The care that people received was effective. Permanent staff had access to the support, supervision and training that they required to work effectively in their roles. Where agency staff were used their training was reviewed to make sure that this was suitable to meet people's needs.
People were supported in line with the Mental Capacity Act (2005) and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). Staff and the registered manager had an understanding of the MCA. Staff told us that they sought people’s consent before delivering their support.
People were supported to maintain good health and nutrition. The registered manager knew what actions to take if there were concerns about people's weight. People had access to healthcare services.
People developed positive relationships with staff who were caring and treated them with respect, kindness and dignity.
People had plans of care in place that were focused on them as individuals. This allowed staff to provide consistent support in line with people’s personal preferences.
People and their relatives felt they could raise a concern and the provider had implemented effective systems to manage any complaints that they may receive.
The service had a positive ethos and an open culture. The registered manager was a visible role model in the home. People, their relatives and staff told us that they felt confident that they could approach the manager and that they would listen. There were quality assurance systems in place to monitor and review the quality of the service that was provided. The change in how staff were deployed had been discussed with staff prior to this taking place. The provider agreed to discuss staff concerns about this further with them to try and address these.