Sophia Care Home

Sophia Care Home is a care home registered for seven people with a learning disability situated in Kenton. At the time of our inspection there were seven people living at the home. The people who used the service had significant support needs because of their learning disabilities or mental health conditions. Some people had additional needs such as autistic spectrum conditions, communication impairments and epilepsy.

The manager at the home is the registered provider. Registered providers 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 told us that they felt safe living at Sophia Care Home. We saw that people were comfortable and familiar with the staff supporting them.

Staff members had received training in safeguarding of adults, and were able to demonstrate their understanding of what this meant for the people they were supporting. They were knowledgeable about their role in ensuring that people were safe and that concerns were reported appropriately.

Medicines at the service were well managed. People’s medicines were managed and given to them appropriately and records of medicines were well maintained.

We saw that staff at the service supported people in a caring and respectful way, and responded promptly to meet their needs and requests. There were enough staff members on duty to meet the needs of the people using the service.

The service was meeting the requirements of The Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). Information about capacity was included in people’s care plans. A Deprivation of Liberty safeguarding authorisation had been obtained for a person who had been assessed as being unable to make decisions about their care or leave the home unaccompanied.

Staff who worked at the service received regular relevant training and were knowledgeable about their roles and responsibilities. Appropriate checks took place as part of the recruitment process to ensure that staff were suitable for the work that they would be undertaking. All staff members received regular supervision from a manager and those whom we spoke with told us that they felt well supported.

We saw that the meals provided to people were healthy and varied. Alternatives were offered where people chose to eat other foods, and drinks and snacks were available to people throughout the day.

Care plans and risk assessments were person centred and provided detailed guidance for staff around meeting people’s needs.

The service provided a range of activities for people to participate in throughout the week. An annual holiday took place for people who were unable to take holidays with their relatives. Staff members supported people to participate in activities of their choice. People’s cultural, religious and social needs were supported by the service and detailed information about these was contained in people’s care plans.

The service had a complaints procedure that was provided in an easy read format. People told us that they would tell the manager or staff member if they were unhappy about anything.

People’s health needs were regularly reviewed. The service liaised with health professionals to ensure that people received the support that they needed.

On 20 January 2017 we undertook a focused inspection to check that the provider had taken action in order to meet legal requirements.

This report only covers our findings in relation to the effective topic area. You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the 'all reports' link for Sophia Care Home on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

At our last inspection in August 2015 we rated the service good in the four topic areas safe, caring, responsive and well-led, and good as the overall rating. The service was rated requires improvement in the effective topic area.

Sophia Care Home is a care home registered for seven people with a learning disability situated in Kenton. At the time of our inspection there were seven people living at the home. The people who used the service had significant support needs because of their learning disabilities. The majority of people had additional needs such as autistic spectrum conditions, mental health conditions, and communication impairments.

The service has a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements of the Health and Social Care Act and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

At our focused inspection on the 30 January 2017, we found that the provider had taken action to ensure that legal requirements were met. We found that an application for a DoLS authorisation had been made for a person who required continuous supervision both within and outside the home. The home had an up to date policy and procedure in relation to The Mental Capacity Act and we saw that this had been used to assess people’s capacity to make safe decisions about their care and support.

Training for staff members was up to date. Four staff members had received recent refresher training in relation to the MCA and DoLS and plans were in place to ensure that other staff members also received this training.

We found that care was planned in a thorough and individualised way and that staff supported people who used the service to make decisions about their lives.

People who used the service were supported to pursue interests and take part in activities all year round and that they were supported and encouraged to improve their ability to communicate.

We found that staff were appropriately recruited and supported. The provider had ensured that all the necessary checks were made prior to staff beginning their work and that staff were updated regularly on changes in care and areas of development.

We found that the provider had a robust complaints procedure in place and that people who used the service were supported to make complaints if required. We found that the provider kept accurate records of complaints and that staff were notified of the lessons learnt by any comments made by people who used the service or their relatives.

We also saw that the provider had made improvements in the way that records and data were held and that the system protected the confidentiality of both staff and people who used the service.

Care records indicated that the needs of people had been attended to. The care records contained appropriate assessments, care plans and details of regular reviews. There was documented evidence that the healthcare needs of people had been attended to and this included details of appointments with healthcare professionals. Risks assessments had been carried out and these included strategies for minimising potential risks to people. People had been given their medication and staff had received medication training.

The home had a recruitment policy and the necessary checks had been carried out on staff prior to them working in the home. There were arrangements for ensuring that people were safeguarded and protected from abuse. However, the home's safeguarding policy had not been updated and still referred to the previous care regulator.

Some essential records including policies and procedures associated with the running of the home were not available. These records were needed to ensure that people who use the service are protected against unsafe or inappropriate care or treatment.