Archived: Caretech Community Services (No 2) Limited - 44 The Avenue

Caretech Community Services (No 2) Limited - 44 The Avenue provides accommodation and personal care for up to eight people with learning disabilities. At the time of the inspection, there were five people being supported by the service.

The service has a Registered Manager in place. 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.

There were risk assessments in place that gave guidance to staff on how risks to people could be minimised and how to safeguard people from the risk of possible harm.

The provider had effective recruitment processes in place and there were sufficient staff to support people safely. Staff understood their roles and responsibilities and would seek people’s consent before they provided any care or support. Staff received supervision and support, and had been trained to meet people’s individual needs.

People were supported by caring and respectful staff who knew them well. Relatives we spoke with had described the staff as good. People were supported to go into the community and pursue their interests.

People had been assessed, and care plans took account of their individual needs, preferences, and choices. Staff supported people to access health and social care services when required.

The provider had a formal process for handling complaints and concerns. They encouraged feedback from people and acted on the comments received to continually improve the quality of the service. The provider also had effective quality monitoring processes in place to ensure that they were meeting the required standards of care.

We spoke with three visiting professionals who gave positive feedback about the staff and the care provided. One told us, 'The staff are kind and welcoming. They keep us well informed of any changes in the person's care needs.' Another told us, 'The staff communicate well with us about each person's care needs. This helps us when we accompany people to their various community activities.' This view was echoed by another professional.

We noted that staff had knowledge of people's care needs and gave them appropriate support. We found that confidential records had been maintained and kept securely.

Another person showed us their bedroom, which was clean and tidy. They offered us some chocolates that they kept in their bedroom. A member of staff explained to us that the person's family had given them the chocolates. We noted other personal items on display in their bedroom, reflecting the person's lifestyle. This showed that the staff had encouraged the person's individuality and self-expression.

We observed a member of staff accompanying two people to the local video shop to hire a video for the evening activity, which was 'movie night'. A member of staff showed us the daily activity programme on the notice board. We were told that people also attend their respective day centres and undertake other outdoor activities during the day such as going shopping or going to the leisure centre. This showed that people had been given choices, and their wishes and preferences had been respected.

We observed that staff interacted well with people. We spoke with all three members of staff, and noted that they had knowledge of each person's needs, and gave support and assistance accordingly.