Archived: Creative Support - Fairlea

Updated 6 September 2017

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This unannounced inspection was carried out by one inspector and took place on 26 July 2017.

We reviewed information we held about the provider including, for example, statutory notifications that they had sent us. A statutory notification is information about important events which the provider is required to send us by law. We contacted the health and social care commissioners who help place and monitor the care of people living in the home as well as 'Healthwatch' in Northamptonshire.

Before the inspection visit, the provider completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what it does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this information into account when we inspected.

We spoke with two of the people using the service. One person chose not to speak with the inspector because they preferred to be left alone to relax. We undertook general observations throughout the home, including observing interactions between the staff and people in the communal areas. We were invited to look at one person’s bedroom and we looked at the communal facilities shared by the three people living in the home.

We looked at the care records of the three people in residence. We also looked at records in relation to staff training, as well as records related to quality monitoring of the service by the provider and manager. We spoke with the team leader in-charge, and two other staff involved in supporting people. Although absent from the home when we inspected we were able to speak with the manager by telephone about the day-to-day running of the home.

Updated 6 September 2017

This unannounced inspection took place on 26 July 2017.

The service is registered to provide accommodation with personal care for up to four adults with a range of needs arising from their learning disabilities. There were three people using the service when we inspected.

A registered manager was not in post when we inspected although the service was being managed by a person who had applied to the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to register. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) 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’s needs were safely met and they said they felt safe living at Fairlea. There were sufficient numbers of staff available to meet people’s needs in a timely way. Staff had received training to provide them with the skills and knowledge they needed to provide people with safe care. Staff recruitment processes protected people from being cared for by unsuitable people and all new staff completed a thorough induction training programme. Staff understood the importance of protecting people from abuse and avoidable harm. They knew what action they needed to take to report any concerns about people’s safety or well-being.

People’s needs were assessed prior to taking up the service and their agreed care plans reflected people’s individual needs and preferences in relation to the care provided. Assessments were in place and appropriately acted upon to reduce and manage the risks to people’s health and welfare.

People were supported to eat a healthy diet and to have access to health services in the community to improve their health and well-being. The staff followed the advice of healthcare professionals in meeting people’s needs. Staff ensured that people that required support to manage their medicines received their medicines as prescribed.

People were involved in decisions about the way in which their care and support was provided. They had developed good relationships with staff who knew them well. Support was provided by a staff team that were caring, friendly, and responsive to people’s changing needs. Staff were able to demonstrate that they understood what was required of them to provide each individual with the person centred support they needed to live fulfilling lives as independently as possible. People were treated with dignity and their right to make choices about how they preferred their care to be provided was respected. People’s rights were protected.

People benefitted from a service that was appropriately managed by the person in charge so that they received their service in a timely and reliable way. People knew how to raise concerns and complaints and the provider had appropriate policies and procedures in place to manage such eventualities. There were also systems in place to assess and monitor the on-going quality of the service. People’s views about the quality of their service were sought and acted upon.