This was an announced inspection which was completed on 6 and 13 July 2016. The reason the inspection was announced was to ensure the people living in the home were available for us to speak with and to provide them with assurances about our visit. This was because some people with Asperger’s syndromes become anxious when in the company of unfamiliar people. We gave 24 hours notice of this visit.Wortley Villa provides accommodation and personal care for 5 people. There were five men living at the home when we inspected. The registered manager told us people had a diagnosis of Asperger’s Syndrome in the completed provider information return. This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they planned to make.
Wortley Villa is situated in the village of Nailsworth close to local shops and amenities. People were they had been assessed as being safe to do so accessed the village independently. The home is situated over three floors which are accessible by stairs. Bedrooms were personalised to reflect the taste and personality of the occupant. On the ground floor there was a lounge/dining room and kitchen which was shared by the five people living in the home.
There was a registered manager in post. 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. The registered manager had responsibility for three other homes owned by Gloucestershire Group Homes Ltd.
We found at the last inspection in May 2015 there were two breaches of regulation. This was because staff had not received any statutory training for a number of years and there were no daily records of the care and support that people had received. The provider sent us an action plan. We looked at these areas and the provider had taken appropriate action.
People were receiving care that was responsive and effective. Care plans were in place that described how the person would like to be supported. This included how the person’s Asperger’s syndrome impacted on their day to day live. The care plans were tailored to the person and provided staff with information to support the person effectively. Some individual goals that people were working towards needed more information which would assist in staff providing a more consistent approach. People had been consulted about their care needs and their views sought about the service.
People were supported to make decisions and take proportionate risks. Systems were in place to ensure that complaints and any concerns in respect of abuse were responded to. Systems were in place to ensure people were safe including risk management, checks on the environment and safe recruitment processes. People received their medicines safely.
People were supported to access the community either with staff support or independently. There was usually one member of staff working in Wortley Villa. There were day care staff who complimented the residential staff, supporting people to take part in activities of their choice. There was a day centre that people could access if they wanted during the day and two evenings a week.
Other health and social care professionals were involved in the care of the people living at Wortley Villa.
The staff were knowledgeable about the people they supported and caring in their approach. Staff commented positively about the management support. Improvements had been made to ensure all staff had received appropriate training specific to their role. This was on going with a training plan in place. Staff were receiving regular one to one meetings with their line manager. However, there were no records maintained to enable senior management to monitor on going progress or concerns.
Systems were in place for monitoring the quality of the service. This included seeking the views of people and their relatives through annual surveys.