Archived: St Matthew Road

We last inspected St Matthew Road in January 2014. The service met all the regulations we checked at that time.

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 were protected from the risk of abuse. Staff were aware of abuse and understood the safeguarding procedures in place about how to report any concerns to protect people from possible harm. Staff assessed risks to people and the registered manager put plans in place to reduce the impact of those risks. Accidents and incidents involving people were monitored and plans were put in place to prevent a recurrence. People received support from staff suitable for their role. The provider recruited staff in a safe and robust manner. There were sufficient members of staff to meet people's needs. People’s medicines were managed appropriately and administered safely from staff assessed as competent to do so.

Staff received the training and support they needed to undertake their roles. Staff attended specific training to help enhance them to understand people’s individual needs and how to support them. People gave consent before staff provided their care and treatment. Staff respected people’s wishes and preferences. People who were unable to express their wishes or make their own decisions, received appropriate support from staff in line with the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. This ensured staff made ‘best interests’ decisions on their behalf. People received food and drink appropriate for their nutritional needs and preferences. People had access to healthcare professionals when needed and received care and treatment they required to maintain their health.

People had developed positive relationships with staff. People were involved in planning their care. Staff treated people with dignity and respected their privacy.

People received individualised care. People’s needs were assessed to identify each person’s needs and wishes. People had care plans that staff regularly reviewed to ensure people received support in line with their changing needs and preferences. The service worked positively with healthcare professionals and organisations to ensure people’s needs were met.

People felt confident to raise concerns and make a complaint if they were unhappy about their care. The registered manager encouraged people to feedback about the service and used their views to improve the service.

The service had an open and positive culture. Staff were supported to undertake their roles. The registered manager together with the provider carried out checks and audits to monitor the service and identify areas for improvement.

People told us that they liked living at St Matthew Road. They said that their keyworkers helped them to make plans to do the things they wanted to do. One person said, 'I like (X staff member), I missed her over Christmas when she was on holiday.'

People told us they liked the activities that they did each day. One person told us, 'I like going to the pub and disco but I don't go to the club.' Another said, 'I go to the disco if I want to, I might go tomorrow.'

We found that care plans were comprehensive and clearly documented the needs of people and how they should be met. Staff ensured that consent was obtained prior to providing care and support. Specialist advice and support was obtained to meet people's individual needs. There were safe systems in place for the management of medication.

Staff had access to a variety of training to develop their skills and knowledge. There were detailed systems to ensure that the quality of care provided was monitored and reviewed on a regular basis.

We used a number of different methods to help us understand the experiences of people using the service, because the people using the service had complex needs which meant they were not all able to tell us about their experiences. We spoke with staff who worked at the home, we reviewed records and observed the way that staff interacted with people. One person we spoke with told us about a recent party they had attended and enjoyed.

We looked at the care plans and saw that people were involved in making decisions about their own care and treatment. We observed staff offering people choices and supporting them in their decisions. One person we spoke with told us what they were going to do during the day. Staff knew people well and were able to tell us how they supported people.

The provider had safeguarding policies in place and staff demonstrated an understanding of how to recognise and report abuse. There was a complaints policy at the home. People who lived there were supported to discuss their concerns with staff at the home.

We looked at the staff rota and spoke with staff. We saw there were enough qualified, skilled and experienced staff at the home to meet people's needs.