Archived: Mark A Peake - 21 Totterdown Street

This inspection took place on 7 May 2015 and was unannounced. The service met the requirements of the regulations during the previous inspection which took place on 7 May 2013.

There was a registered manager at the service. 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.

Mark A Peake - 21 Totterdown Street is a small care home for two men with mild learning disabilities. It is located in Tooting, South-West London. It is close to local amenities and has good transport links. It is one of three homes owned by Mark A Peake.

The home was safe for people to live in. Regular health and safety checks were carried out for the service. People’s privacy and dignity was respected. Each person had their own bedroom, bathroom and lounge which they used to entertain family and friends. They shared a kitchen.

People told us that they liked living at the home and that they felt safe. They told us that staff treated them well and they were able to lead independent lives. They were able to pursue their own interests and were not restricted from leaving the home. They said that staff supported them if needed, for example if they needed assistance with cooking.

People’s needs in terms of their medicines and their diet were met by the service. People told us they were able to see healthcare professionals such as their GP or consultant psychiatrist if they needed.

There were enough staff to meet people’s needs. Robust pre-employment checks were carried out on staff before they started working at the service. Ongoing training in areas that were relevant to the needs of people was provided, for example autism awareness and dealing with behaviour that challenged. Staff demonstrated a good understanding of the areas they had received training in, for example the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and specific ways that they would deal with incidents of behaviour that challenged. Staff received regular supervision and told us they felt well supported and valued.

Care plans and other records such as medicines profiles and risk assessments were reviewed on a regular basis which helped to ensure up to date information was always available about people and their support needs.

There was continuity in the home with respect to how long people had been living there, but also in respect of staff that had worked there for a long time. The registered manager had been managing the service since it had opened and these factors contributed to the fact that the service was well run in all aspects, and both people using the service and staff were happy living and working there.