7 April 2014
During a routine inspection
' Is the service caring?
' Is the service responsive?
' Is the service safe?
' Is the service effective?
' Is the service well led?
Below is a summary of what we found. The summary is based on our observations during the inspection, discussions with people using the service and the staff supporting them and looking at records.
If you wish to see the evidence supporting our summary please read the full report.
Is the service caring?
People were supported by kind and responsive staff. Most of the staff had worked with people for a long time and knew them well. We saw that relationships were very positive. Staff showed interest in people and what they were saying. We saw that staff were respectful in their interactions with people.
Is the service responsive?
The people who used the service lived independently with staff offering support for two hours a day. People were in control of the day to day running of their home, such as cleaning, tidying, and shopping. The manager completed checks to ensure that the building was maintained and that people were safe and that their needs were met.
Is the service safe?
People told us they felt safe, that the manager was responsive to any safety matters they raised and that they knew who to contact if they had concerns. Information about the safeguarding of vulnerable adults was displayed clearly within the service. The manager was aware of the correct procedures for reporting safeguarding concerns and had completed training in the safeguarding of vulnerable adults.
It was clearly acknowledged by staff that the people who used the service had the mental capacity to make decisions. No applications to deprive a person of their liberty had been made by the service.
Is the service effective?
We found that people were supported to maximise their independence, to have aspirations for the future, and to become highly valued members of the community.
People told us that they had meaningful lives, with voluntary and paid jobs and access to a wide range of leisure and social activities.
Is the service well led?
The manager sought the views of people who used the service and acted on what they said.
The people who used the service were very much in control of their home and their lives. The manager took a low key approach to managing the service, overseeing that quality was maintained but stepping back to enable people to be as independent as possible.
There were systems in place to audit the quality of the service and to report and monitor complaints, accidents and injuries. This meant that the service was able to learn from adverse events and take action to make improvements when necessary.