Aspire Living - 94 Chatsworth Road

Updated 27 September 2017

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014

This inspection took place on 23 and 24 August 2017. The first day of our inspection was unannounced.

The inspection team consisted of one inspector.

Prior to our inspection visit, the provider completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this information into account during our inspection of the service.

As part of our inspection, we reviewed the information we held about the service. We contacted representatives from the local authority and Healthwatch for their views about the service and looked at the statutory notifications the registered manager had sent us. A statutory notification is information about important events which the provider is required to send to us by law.

During our inspection, people were unable to share their views on the service in detail due to their learning disabilities and communication needs. We spoke with three relatives, an advocate, two social workers, a speech and language therapist and a continence nurse specialist. We also spoke to the provider's senior operations manager, the registered manager, two senior care staff and four care staff. We looked at one person’s care record, medicines records, staff training records, three staff recruitment records, incident records and records associated with the provider’s quality assurance systems. We also spent time in the communal areas of the home to observe how staff supported and responded to people.

Updated 27 September 2017

The inspection took place on 23 and 24 August 2017. The first day of our inspection was unannounced.

Aspire Living - 94 Chatsworth Road provides accommodation and personal care for up to four people who have a learning disability who may also have physical disabilities. At the time of the inspection, four people were living at the home.

The service is required to have a registered manager and there was a registered manager in post when we inspected. 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

People were protected from avoidable harm and abuse. Staff had received training in, and understood, how to work safely and recognise and report abuse. The risks to people had been assessed, kept under review and plans put in place to manage these. The involvement of people’s relatives, where appropriate, in decisions about risks affecting their family members was actively encouraged. Staffing levels at the service meant people’s needs were met safely and flexibly. The provider followed safe recruitment procedures to ensure prospective staff were suitable to work with the people living at the home. People received their medicines safely and as prescribed from trained staff.

Staff had the training and ongoing management support required to work effectively. People’s rights under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 were understood and protected by the provider and staff team. People had enough to eat and drink, and any associated needs or risks were managed with appropriate input from nutritional specialists. Staff helped people to access healthcare services and took prompt action in response to any significant changes or deterioration in their health.

Staff adopted a kind and compassionate approach towards people’s care and support, taking the time to get to know people well. People’s involvement in decision-making that affected them was actively encouraged. People were treated with dignity and respect by staff who understood their associated responsibilities.

People received personalised care and support shaped around their assessed needs and preferences. Staff understood the importance of, and followed, people’s care plans. People had support to spend time doing things they found interesting and enjoyable, both inside the home and out in the local community. People’s relatives knew how to raise concerns and complaints with the provider, and felt comfortable doing so.

The management team promoted positive, open communication with people. their relatives and the community professionals involved in their care. Staff felt valued, supported and able approach the management team for any additional guidance or advice needed. The provider carried out effective quality assurance activities to assess, monitor and improve the quality of the service.