Archived: Spinney Hill

A registered manager was in place. 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.

At the last comprehensive inspection on 29 July and 2 August 2016 we found the provider was not meeting the legal requirements of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. This was in relation to: Need for consent; Safe care and treatment and Good Governance. We asked the provider to make improvements and they sent us an action plan telling us how they planned to meet the legal requirements.

At this inspection we found the provider had made the necessary improvements and were meeting the legal requirements.

Systems were in place for the ordering, receipt, storage, administration and disposal of medicines. Risk assessments addressed specific areas individual to each person using the service. Staff understood their responsibilities to safeguard people from abuse and knew how to raise any concerns if they suspected or witnessed ill treatment or poor practice.

The Recruitment systems were robust to make sure the right staff were recruited to keep people safe. There was enough competent staff available with the right mix of skills to meet the needs of people using the service. Staff received training that was relevant to their roles and responsibilities, ensuring they had the skills and knowledge required to support people effectively.

Capacity assessments had been carried out for all people using the service, the assessments identified where people required help to make decisions, and where they lacked the mental capacity to make particular decisions. Deprivation of Liberty (DoLS) applications had been submitted to the local authority as required.

People were supported to maintain a healthy diet and have access to healthcare services in response to ill health and had routine health checks. People had developed positive relationships with the staff protected people's privacy and dignity. Advocacy services were available for people if required.

Detailed care plans in place, they contained information about people’s needs and aspirations; short term goals. People were encouraged to develop their independence and were supported to follow their interests and hobbies. The staff knew how to support people when they became anxious through using individual coping strategies. Systems were in place to receive and take appropriate action to address any complaints.

A registered manager had been appointed; they took their responsibilities seriously and had made significant changes to the quality of the service people received. Quality assurance systems were being used to continually monitor and improve the service.

Spinney Hill provides accommodation and personal care for up to three people some of whom may have learning disabilities or a mental health diagnosis. There were three people living at the home during this inspection.

The service did not have a registered manager in place. There was an acting manager who had made an application with the Care Quality Commission to become 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 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.’

People did not always receive their medicines safely. People’s prescribed medicines were not always administered to them. This constituted to a breach of the regulation of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of the report.

People’s capacity to consent to their care and support was not always assessed. Some people’s individual plans of care showed that they were supported with restrictive care interventions however; their ability to consent to this care and support had not been assessed. This constituted to a breach of the regulation of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of the report.

There were not effective systems in place to monitor and improve the quality of the service. Improvements to the service were not constantly identified and where improvements had been identified as being required these were not always made.

Quality assurance procedures were not implemented to ensure that people received the care and support that they required. This constituted to a breach of the regulation of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of the report.

Incidents and accidents were not always reported to the manager appropriately. This meant that any learning arising from incidents or accidents could not be implemented to prevent them from occurring again.

People felt safe. Staff were able to identify if people were at risk of harm and were confident in the steps that they would need to follow if they suspected that someone was being harmed.

There were effective recruitment processes in place so that people were supported by staff of a suitable character. Staffing numbers were sufficient to meet the needs of the people who used the service and staff received relevant induction and training. Staff were knowledgeable about their roles and responsibilities and had the skills, knowledge and experience required to support people with their care and support needs.

People had detailed individual plans of care that had been developed to guide staff in how to care for people. Staff were knowledgeable about people’s care and support needs however did not always have access to people’s most up to date plans of care. This meant that people were at risk of receiving inconsistent care and support.