We carried out this unannounced inspection on 11 December 2014. This service had been classed as a dormant service and was last inspected on 06 September 2011. This was as the service was still registered with the Care Quality Commission; however there were no people living at the home and the home underwent a full refurbishment. The people living at the home moved into another home in Bolton operated by the same provider. People made the choice to move back to Hartington House when it reopened.
Hartington House is a care home that provides care for up to five adults with a mental health illness. At the time of our inspection three people were living at the home. These people had lived together for a number of years.
The home is a large terraced property, which has been adapted so each person has their own bedroom. There was a communal lounge, kitchen/diner and bathrooms and toilets. The home is close to Bolton town centre and other local amenities such as shops, a supermarket and public house.
The provider has three small care homes in Bolton all in close proximity to one another and there is a registered manager that oversees all three homes. A registered manager is a person who is 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.
On the day of our inspection the registered manager was at Hartington House to assist with the inspection.
The home had been recently refurbished and we found the home to be warm, clean and tidy.
The service was meeting the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005 and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). People were supported by staff to make choices and decisions about their care and welfare.
We saw that the home had appropriate safeguarding policies and procedures in place for staff to refer to if required. This also included guidance for staff to follow if a person failed to return back to the home. Staff had undertaken training in the protection of vulnerable adults and were able to recognise and report abuse or poor practice.
On the day of our inspection two members of staff were on duty. Staffing levels were determined by what commitments people living at the home had planned for example a person may wish a member of staff to support them to a hospital appointment or on a trip out.
We observed that staff treated people with kindness and were patient and respectful when speaking with people living at the home. We observed a friendly rapport between staff and the person living at the home who was with us for most of the day.
Recruitment systems were in place to help ensure that people were employed following suitable employment checks. Staff spoken with confirmed that they completed an induction on commencing work with the company.
Regular staff supervision meetings took place and records of these meetings were documented.
We looked at three care records and saw these contained clear information to guide staff on how people living as the home wished to be supported and their preferences and wishes.
We found the administration of medicines was safe and people received their medicines in a timely manner.
Audits were undertaken by the registered manager to monitor and assess the quality of the service.