Archived: The Saplings

Updated 9 October 2015

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 8 September 2015 and was unannounced. It was carried out by one inspector.

We looked at previous inspection reports and other information we held about the home before we visited. We looked at notifications sent in by the provider. A notification is information about important events which the service is required to tell us about by law.

At the time of this inspection there were seven people living at the home. During the inspection we met with each person however; the majority were unable to engage in conversations with us. We spoke with two members of staff and the deputy manager. The registered manager was not available for this inspection.

We looked at a sample of records relating to the running of the home and to the care of individuals. These included the care records of three people who lived at the home and the recruitment files of two members of staff. We also looked at records relating to the management and administration of people’s medicines, health and safety and quality assurance.

Updated 9 October 2015

This inspection took place on 8 September 2015 and was an unannounced inspection.

The Saplings is a purpose built property which can accommodate up to seven people. The home specialises in providing care and support to adults who have a learning disability, autism and/or a physical disability. All bedrooms are for single occupancy and the home is staffed 24 hours a day.

The people who lived at The Saplings were unable to tell us about their experiences of life at the home so we used our observations of care and our discussions with staff to help form our judgements.

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. 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 supported people to develop and maintain independent living skills. Risk assessments detailed the potential risks and provided information about how to support the individual to make sure risks were minimised.

People were comfortable with the staff who supported them. The atmosphere in the home was very relaxed and staff interacted with people in a kind and respectful manner.

Staffing levels were good and people received good support from health and social care professionals. Staff were confident and competent when assisting and interacting with people and it was evident staff knew people well.

People were unable to look after their own medicines. Staff made sure medicines were stored securely and there were sufficient supplies of medicines. People received their medicines when they needed them.

People were supported to eat well in accordance with their preferences and needs. There was a varied menu which had been developed with the people who lived at the home.

Routines in the home were flexible and were based around the needs and preferences of the people who lived there. People were able to plan their day with staff and they were supported to access social and leisure activities in the home and local community.

The provider made sure staff completed appropriate training so they could meet the needs of the people they supported. The knowledge, skills and competency of staff were regularly monitored through supervisions and observation of their practice. Staff told us they felt well supported and received the training they needed.

There were systems in place to monitor health and safety and the quality of the service provided to people.