The inspection visit took place on 26 and 27 March 2015. This was an unannounced inspection which meant that the staff and provider did not know that we would be visiting.
We last inspected the service on 4 June 2013 and found the service was not in breach of any regulations at that time.
50 Belle Vue Grove, also called Cinnamon House is a large detached house situated within a suburb of Middlesbrough. It is within walking distance of local amenities. The property has a large garden and patio and bedrooms across both floors. There are also a number of bathrooms, one of which is a wet room. Belle Vue Grove provides accommodation for people who have mental health needs, learning disabilities, and broad spectrum autism. There were four people living there at the time of our inspection.
There is 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.
Four people we spoke with told us they felt safe at 50 Belle Vue Grove. We discussed safeguarding with staff and all were knowledgeable about the procedures to follow if they suspected abuse. Staff were clear that their role was to protect people and knew how to report abuse including the actions to take to raise this with external agencies.
There were policies and procedures in place in relation to the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005 and Deprivations of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). The registered manager had the appropriate knowledge to know how to apply the MCA and when an application should be made and how to submit one. This meant people were safeguarded.
Staff had received a range of training, which covered mandatory courses such as fire safety, infection control, food hygiene as well as condition specific training such as working with people with mental health problems and providing person centred support. We found that the staff had the skills and knowledge to provide support to the people who lived at the home. People and the staff we spoke with told us that there were enough staff on duty to meet people’s needs. We saw that two staff routinely provided support to four people.
There was a regular programme of staff supervision in place and records of these were detailed and showed the home worked with staff to identify their personal and professional development. We also saw a regular programme of staff meetings where issues were shared and raised. We saw that staff were recruited using procedures to check they were safe to work with vulnerable people.
The service encouraged people to lead a safe and active lifestyle. People were supported to be involved in the local community as much as possible. People were supported to access facilities such as the local G.P, gym, shops and leisure facilities as well as to use the facilities in the service such as the kitchen for cooking meals.
There was a system in place for dealing with people’s concerns and complaints. Three people told us they would talk to staff if they were unhappy with anything. The staff we spoke with all told us they could recognise if people they supported weren’t well or were unhappy and what measures they would take to address any concerns.
We saw staff treating people with dignity and respect and observed staff caring for people in a gentle and polite manner.
People were encouraged to help prepare menus and food with staff support and on the day of our visit people prepared their lunch independently. People were encouraged to follow a healthy eating programme and staff worked with people to plan menus and to shop using budgeting skills.
We saw that detailed assessments were completed, which identified people’s health and support needs as well as any risks to people who used the service and others. These assessments were used to create care plans which were detailed and person centred. Care plans were regularly reviewed and involved the person as much as possible. We observed one person who had just moved to the service, writing their own care plan with the support of the registered manager.
We reviewed the systems for the management of medicines and found that people received their medicines safely and there were clear guidelines in place for staff to follow.
We found that the building was clean and well-maintained. Appropriate checks of the building and maintenance systems were undertaken to ensure health and safety. We found that all relevant infection control procedures were followed by the staff at the home and there was plenty of personal protective equipment to reduce the risk of cross infection. We saw that audits of infection control practices were completed.
We saw that the registered manager utilised a range of quality audits and used them to critically review the service. They also sought the views of people using the service and their families on a regular basis and used any information to improve the service provided. This had led to the systems being effective and the service being well-led.
Accidents and incidents were also reviewed by the registered manager and appropriate measures taken to reduce the risk of any further re-occurrence.
The service worked closely with other healthcare professionals to ensure people’s mental health needs were supported and monitored.
The inspection visit took place on 26 and 27 March 2015. This was an unannounced inspection which meant that the staff and provider did not know that we would be visiting.
We last inspected the service on 4 June 2013 and found the service was not in breach of any regulations at that time.
50 Belle Vue Grove, also called Cinnamon House is a large detached house situated within a suburb of Middlesbrough. It is within walking distance of local amenities. The property has a large garden and patio and bedrooms across both floors. There are also a number of bathrooms, one of which is a wet room. Belle Vue Grove provides accommodation for people who have mental health needs, learning disabilities, and broad spectrum autism. There were four people living there at the time of our inspection.
There is 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.
Four people we spoke with told us they felt safe at 50 Belle Vue Grove. We discussed safeguarding with staff and all were knowledgeable about the procedures to follow if they suspected abuse. Staff were clear that their role was to protect people and knew how to report abuse including the actions to take to raise this with external agencies.
There were policies and procedures in place in relation to the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005 and Deprivations of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). The registered manager had the appropriate knowledge to know how to apply the MCA and when an application should be made and how to submit one. This meant people were safeguarded.
Staff had received a range of training, which covered mandatory courses such as fire safety, infection control, food hygiene as well as condition specific training such as working with people with mental health problems and providing person centred support. We found that the staff had the skills and knowledge to provide support to the people who lived at the home. People and the staff we spoke with told us that there were enough staff on duty to meet people’s needs. We saw that two staff routinely provided support to four people.
There was a regular programme of staff supervision in place and records of these were detailed and showed the home worked with staff to identify their personal and professional development. We also saw a regular programme of staff meetings where issues were shared and raised. We saw that staff were recruited using procedures to check they were safe to work with vulnerable people.
The service encouraged people to lead a safe and active lifestyle. People were supported to be involved in the local community as much as possible. People were supported to access facilities such as the local G.P, gym, shops and leisure facilities as well as to use the facilities in the service such as the kitchen for cooking meals.
There was a system in place for dealing with people’s concerns and complaints. Three people told us they would talk to staff if they were unhappy with anything. The staff we spoke with all told us they could recognise if people they supported weren’t well or were unhappy and what measures they would take to address any concerns.
We saw staff treating people with dignity and respect and observed staff caring for people in a gentle and polite manner.
People were encouraged to help prepare menus and food with staff support and on the day of our visit people prepared their lunch independently. People were encouraged to follow a healthy eating programme and staff worked with people to plan menus and to shop using budgeting skills.
We saw that detailed assessments were completed, which identified people’s health and support needs as well as any risks to people who used the service and others. These assessments were used to create care plans which were detailed and person centred. Care plans were regularly reviewed and involved the person as much as possible. We observed one person who had just moved to the service, writing their own care plan with the support of the registered manager.
We reviewed the systems for the management of medicines and found that people received their medicines safely and there were clear guidelines in place for staff to follow.
We found that the building was clean and well-maintained. Appropriate checks of the building and maintenance systems were undertaken to ensure health and safety. We found that all relevant infection control procedures were followed by the staff at the home and there was plenty of personal protective equipment to reduce the risk of cross infection. We saw that audits of infection control practices were completed.
We saw that the registered manager utilised a range of quality audits and used them to critically review the service. They also sought the views of people using the service and their families on a regular basis and used any information to improve the service provided. This had led to the systems being effective and the service being well-led.
Accidents and incidents were also reviewed by the registered manager and appropriate measures taken to reduce the risk of any further re-occurrence.
The service worked closely with other healthcare professionals to ensure people’s mental health needs were supported and monitored.