Archived: Spout House Support Services Limited

At the last inspection on 16 July 2015, the service was rated ‘Good’. At this inspection, we found the service remained ‘Good’.

We found high standards of cleanliness at the home. People and a relative told us they felt safe whilst living at the home. We saw evidence staff received training in safeguarding people from abuse or poor practice. People’s environmental and personal safety was monitored by closely by staff.

Staff files contained evidence the registered manager had undertaken checks to reduce the risk of recruiting unsuitable staff. People and staff we spoke with said there were sufficient staffing numbers to meet people’s needs.

The team leader carried out regular medication audits and raised any issues with the registered manager. The registered manager completed risk assessments and provided staff with relevant training around medicines. We observed staff administered medicines safely.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible. The policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

We observed staff supported people with patience, compassion and a friendly attitude. People we spoke with and a relative told us staff involved them in support and care planning. The registered manager supported people to access advocacy services if people wanted someone independent to act on their behalf.

Care records we looked at were detailed and personalised to people’s requirements. We observed staff followed agreed support in practice. This ensured responsive care planning matched people’s ongoing needs.

The registered manager sought feedback about the quality of care and the home’s development. This was underpinned by ongoing checks on the quality of the service, to monitor everyone’s safety and welfare.

One of the people spoken with confirmed that they were aware of their individual care plan. We were told that staff had listened to what this person had to say about the proposed content of their care plan and that their comments and opinions had been included. This meant that people were actively engaged in determining the sort of support they required and how this was to be achieved.

We saw that staff were perceptive to the individual needs and requirements of each person and responded in a person centred way. People told us that they felt safe living at the home. We were also told that people felt confident that the staff team would meet their individual needs in a supportive and caring way. We were told, 'I don't find it easy to talk to staff but they are alright when I do'.

We asked people if they liked the communal areas of the home and their own person bedroom accommodation. The people spoken with said they felt the home was 'OK' and suited their needs. One person said, 'On the whole I am quite happy'.

People who used the service spoke positively of the staff team. One person said, 'The staff are nice, not bad, nice people. I like them all. Sometimes we have our disagreements but I know why they are saying what they say. The staff are alright and try their best. We have to try and do the best ourselves, but we might have to push ourselves. I do feel well looked after'.

Another person told us she felt safe and happy living at the home and commented, 'I like living here'.

People confirmed that they did their share of housework such as hoovering, dusting and attending to their own laundry and that their time was flexible. We saw people getting up at a time to suit them. One person chose to get up just before lunch, this choice was respected.

Another person explained that, 'I go out quite a lot on my own, I am involved with the church a lot'. This same person also told us that she was supported and encouraged to do this by the staff team.