The inspection took place on 24 February 2016 and was unannounced. Anvil House provides accommodation and care for up to seven people with a learning disability and physical disabilities within a large detached property. The service does not provide nursing care. At the time of our inspection there were seven people using the service.
A registered manager was in post at the service. 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.
Staff had a good understanding in how to keep people safe. The service had appropriate systems in place to keep people safe, and staff followed these guidelines when they supported people. People received flexible and responsive care because they were supported by sufficient numbers of staff. There were systems in place to manage medicines and people were supported to take their prescribed medicines safely. The provider had a robust recruitment process in place to protect people from the risk of avoidable harm.
Staff were supported to develop skills and knowledge to meet people’s needs. Decisions were made in people’s best interests. People were supported to make choices about the care and support their received.
Staff supported people to have food and drink that met their individual needs and preferences. People’s health needs were monitored and managed by staff with input from relevant health care professionals.
People were treated with kindness, dignity and respect by staff who knew them well. Staff had developed creative ways to supporting people to communicate their preferences.
Staff supported people to maximise their independence. Support was tailored around people’s needs and outlined in person centred care plans. Staff ensured that people had meaningful lives and took part in the daily running of their home.
People’s feedback was actively sought. They were involved in residents meetings and were able to influence how the service was run. Complaints were dealt with and responded to positively.
There was an open culture and the manager demonstrated good leadership skills. Staff were enthusiastic about their roles and were able to express their views. The provider had systems in place to check the quality of the service and to make improvements where necessary.