Archived: RNID Action on Hearing Loss Mulberry House

The inspection took place on 1 November 2016 and was unannounced.

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. Registered providers and registered managers 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.

People were involved in decisions about keeping them safe and in promoting their own safety. People's freedom was promoted, whilst ensuring their safety. People administered their own medicines where it was safe for them to do so and where they wanted to be responsible for this. People received their medicines safely and as prescribed.

There were sufficient staff to safely meet people's needs and to provide support both inside and outside the home.

People were supported by staff who received ongoing training and support in their roles. People were encouraged to eat a healthy and varied diet, including fresh produce. People's health was maintained. People were involved in decisions about their healthcare options and medical appointments and their right to refuse these were respected.

People's independent living skills were promoted and people were supported to set and achieve goals in relation to independent living, where appropriate. People's communication needs and preferences were known by staff.

People's cultural and religious beliefs were respected. People were encouraged to advocate on their own behalf and make their views known.

People were supported by a flexible staff team who adapted to meet people's health and wellbeing needs. People's changing needs were responded to.

People's views were captured and acted upon, and there was a system in place for responding to complaints.

People were involved in decisions about the running of their home, including staff recruitment and general maintenance. Staff were positive about the people they supported and their roles. The ethos of the home was one of inclusion and valuing diversity.

The registered manager monitored the quality of care provided to people and took action where any issues were identified,

At the time of the inspection six people were living at Mulberry House. Five people were in the home and one person had gone home for the weekend. The service provided support for people who were deaf or deaf blind. The staff included both deaf and hearing staff. The staff told us they were proficient in British Sign Language (BSL) and Braille. We observed a good rapport between the staff and people in the home.

To support our inspection and to gain feedback from people living at the home we were accompanied by a British Sign Language interpreter.

We spoke with the registered manager, the deputy manager and with the support of the BSL interpreter we spoke with three other members of staff. During the inspection we spoke with five people who used the service. People appeared happy and they told us they were settled in the home; one person went for a swim at the local baths and then went out for lunch, another person enjoyed a baking session.

We looked at how people's care and welfare needs were met and recorded and how people were kept safe. We had a tour of the premises. We looked at the staffing rotas and heard how staff were trained and skilled. We considered all the records that were kept in the home and saw they were up to date and in good order.

During the inspection we saw positive interactions between the staff members on duty and people living at Mulberry House. The atmosphere was relaxed and we saw people were welcomed into the office to chat.

Through a process called 'pathway tracking' we looked at support plans and spoke with staff about how they provided support. We saw that everyone who lived at the home had their own support plan. We spoke with the manager and with the support of the BSL interpreter we spoke with three staff members and two people living at the home. The staff members we spoke with were knowledgeable about support requirements.

Procedures and staff training were in place for ensure staff knew how to identify and report concerns and incidents within the home, this included suspected abuse.

The staff we spoke with told us training was available and all mandatory training had been completed.