Archived: Larchpine

Larchpine is a residential care home service for five people with learning disabilities or autistic spectrum disorder. People are accommodated in single rooms on one level and the layout of the home enables people who use wheelchairs to access all areas of the home. The home has a secure garden and communal areas including a kitchen dining room, conservatory and lounge.

Rating at last inspection

At the last inspection, the service was rated Good.

At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

Why the service is rated Good.

People were protected from the risk of potential abuse and appropriately supported by staff to manage assessed risks to their health and wellbeing. Staffing levels and recruitment processes were appropriate to support people safely. People’s medicines were managed safely.

Staff completed training and received supervision to maintain and develop their skills and knowledge to support people according to their needs. 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 support this practice.

People were cared for by kind and caring staff. People were supported to take part in decisions about their care and treatment using their preferred methods of communication. People were treated with dignity and respect by staff and relatives told us staff had built positive trusting relationships with the people they supported.

People’s care and support needs were set out in a written plan that described what staff needed to do to make sure personalised care was provided. People received care and support in line with their care plan to achieve positive outcomes in their health and wellbeing. People were supported to take part in leisure activities which reflected their interests. A system was in place for people and their representative to raise concerns and make complaints. The complaints procedure was displayed in an accessible format for people.

There was a positive, open and inclusive culture in the home. The registered manager and staff understood and acted in accordance with the provider’s vision and values to promote; choice, independence, inclusion and support people to experience a good quality of life. Systems were in place to make sure the service was managed efficiently and to monitor and assess the quality of service provided.

Further information is in the detailed findings below

Each person had a key worker, a member of staff who could assist them to understand the support options that were available to them. Person centred plans contained information about how the person communicated their needs and wishes and how they wished to be supported.

During our visit we observed people receiving care and support which reflected the contents of their individual support plans. Where a particular need had been identified this had been dealt with appropriately. For example one person had been referred to the occupational therapist in regard to their seating position and mobility issues.

People were supported to be able to eat and drink sufficient amounts to meet their needs. People were offered food choices by staff who provided encouragement to those people who were eating independently. One of the people we spoke with communicated: 'The food is nice, we get lots of different things to eat'.

Staff records showed that checks were carried out before each person commenced employment. There were references from previous employers, employment histories and proof of identity. This showed that appropriate checks were undertaken before staff began work.

There was evidence in people's care plans of people's needs being assessed, plans being drawn up, implemented and reviewed. People showed us their person centred plans and talked to us about activities they enjoyed and relationships important to them as recorded in the plans.

Staff told us of action they would take if abuse was suspected, witnessed or alleged. We saw staff were trained in safeguarding people. We saw that the provider had submitted a safeguarding referral in July 2012. We reviewed the records of this referral and found it had been managed appropriately.

We found by looking at staff rotas and training records and speaking with the provider that there was sufficient qualified, skilled and experienced staff to provide care and support for people. People told us there were enough staff with one person saying "I like swimming the staff take me when I want."

The provider had systems in place to assess and monitor the quality of service provided. We saw evidence of these systems having been used effectively in order to identify, assess and manage risks to the health, safety and welfare of people.