All inspections: Wisteria Cottage - Care Quality Commission

We inspected this service on 24 September 2015. The inspection was unannounced.

Wisteria Cottage is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to three people who have a learning disability. At the time of the inspection three people were using the service.

Wisteria Cottage is a period property in the village of Lower Odcombe. Two homes; Wisteria Cottage and Church View are run by the provider Village Homes, and share the same registered manager and staff team. The inspection of Wisteria Cottage was therefore carried out in conjunction with the inspection of Church View. As Church View holds a separate registration there is a separate report for the service. The provider is also the 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

There was a very positive atmosphere within the home, people were seen to be at the heart of the service. People and their relatives were fully involved in planning their care which was seen to be person centred and individualised. Everyone we spoke to including staff members were happy to be part of the service. Staff told us they were proud to work at the home and really enjoyed supporting the people who lived there. People were treated with kindness, compassion and respect. Staff promoted people’s independence and right to privacy. The staff were highly committed and provided people with positive care experiences.

People we spoke with told us they were well cared for and happy. One person told us. “They [the staff] are all really kind to me”. People were encouraged and supported to be part of their local community. One person enjoyed helping out at the local lunch club.

Care records were well written, detailed, with formats that supported people’s communication needs. They accurately reflected people’s care and support needs. Were possible people were fully involved in their care planning. Care plans included information about people’s likes, interests and background and provided staff with sufficient information to enable them to provide care effectively. People signed their care plans to demonstrate they had been involved in reviewing them or agreed to changes made.

Each person had individual risk assessment plans that were reviewed with the person on a monthly basis. Safe systems were in place to protect people from the risks associated with medicines. Medicines were managed in accordance with best practice. Medicines were stored, administered and recorded safely. Health professionals were routinely involved in supporting people with their health and wellbeing.

Staff understood how to keep people safe. There were sufficient numbers of suitable staff to meet people’s needs. There were staffing structures which provided clear lines of accountability and responsibility. The provider showed awareness of consistency within the staffing of the homes.

Staff received regular supervisions and training, that provided them with the skills and knowledge to meet people’s needs effectively. Staff worked well together and communicated well. The home shared the same staff team and policies and procedures with the other home owned by the same provider. One member of staff informed us “I don’t mind which house I work in as the people are all lovely”. The provider informed us. “I have an open door policy, staff, residents and their family know they can contact me at any time”.

People had formed friendships with other people at the home. People talked with excitement about their holidays to Butlin’s and how they were planning parties for Halloween, Bonfire Night and Christmas. People were seen to be kind and caring towards each other, one person told us of another person who did not like fireworks so they would help them on Bonfire night. Birthdays were being talked about and how people were planning to celebrate.

People were involved in menu planning and enjoyed going to the local supermarkets to shop. One person wrote the shopping list for the home. People were involved in preparing their meals and making their lunch boxes. We heard one member of staff gently reminding a person what was in their lunch box when they asked, and also reminded them that they had made their sandwiches the previous evening. People led busy lives with each other but also went to different activities separately.

We inspected Wisteria Cottage care home in conjunction with Church View care home. We found that Wisteria Cottage shared a staff team with Church View.

We spoke with two people who were living in the home about their experiences of care in Wisteria Cottage. One person told us, "I'm happy here." We spoke with two relatives of people who lived in the home. A relative told us, "His care has been very good."

We saw that people were involved in a number of activities throughout the week, these included college attendance and social opportunities.

We found that people were involved in developing their own care plans, and were encouraged to develop independent living skills. A person told us, "I do most things for myself."

We found that people had access to other health and care professionals when required. We also found that people were protected from harm as the home had appropriate safeguarding procedures in place. A person told us, "It's alright here. I've been here a long-time."

We saw that people were supported by suitably qualified, skilled, and experienced staff. We found that the home had effective systems to ensure that people's comments and complaints were listened to and acted on.

We inspected Wisteria Cottage and Church View together. Both homes were run by the same provider and were located in the same village. The home's worked closely together in many areas, which included college attendance and organised holidays. Staff worked in both of the homes and the paperwork and systems were identical in each home.

People that lived in the home had varied communication abilities. One person who was able to communicate verbally told us of their experiences and the care they received. We also spoke with one person's relative.

We observed the care that people received and their interactions with staff. On the day of inspection, three people were accommodated at the home.

People had access to a range of activities both within the home and externally, which included studying at college and work placements. These activities were arranged between the staff and people who lived at the home. People were supported to develop independent living skills and personal care plans were individually tailored to meet their needs. Other healthcare professionals were involved in meeting people's care needs when required.

People were protected from harm as there were appropriate safeguarding procedures. We saw that staff were supported by the provider through training and that staff were encouraged in their professional development.

The service had effective systems to monitor the quality of service provided.

We inspected Wisteria Cottage and Church View over two days. Both homes were run by the same provider in the same village. The homes worked closely together. Staff worked in both homes and the paperwork and systems were the same in each home.

On the first day we spoke to one member of staff that worked in both homes. We read two people's care records at Wisteria Cottage and looked at the home's quality monitoring systems. The people who lived at Wisteria Cottage were out at college on the first day.

On the second day of the inspection we spent time with the three people who lived in the home and spoke with two of them. We also spoke with the provider and another member of staff at Wisteria Cottage.

People told us that staff were kind and treated them with respect. People told us they liked living in the home and felt safe. They said they were friends with the people they lived with but also with the people at Church View.

People said that they had regular meetings with their key workers where they discussed their care and could bring up any issues of concern. People told us staff always involved them in decisions about their care and were good at explaining things to them. One person said 'staff always explain things to me'. Another person said 'if I ask if we can go to the pub, or the cinema, it usually happens'.

People said they attended regular house meetings where they were reminded of fire safety and could suggest ideas for menus and activities. They said they could bring up anything of concern. One person told us 'things always get sorted, the staff are lovely'.

People told us they attended lots of activities. Examples given were college, work placements, local clubs for arts and crafts, singing, performing arts, cinema, pub outings and cooking lessons.

People told us they took it in turns to cook meals for everyone in the home. They said they helped with the household chores and shopping.

Archived: Wisteria Cottage

All Inspections

24 Septemeber 2015

During a routine inspection

6 September 2013

During a routine inspection

29 January 2013

During a routine inspection

25 November 2011

During a routine inspection