The inspection took place 29 March 2016 and 12 April 2016. The inspection was announced on both days as it is a very small service and we needed to make sure there would be someone available.32 Sunnyfield is a modern three storey house, which offers a ground floor flat and shared accommodation for up to two people with shared facilities and private bedrooms on the upper two floors. The home offers accommodation and support to adults who have learning disabilities, personality disorders, mental health conditions and the complex needs which arise from their diagnosis.
The service had a registered manager. 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 had a thorough understanding of the processes for keeping people safe, and had undertaken and regularly refreshed their training on safeguarding vulnerable adults.
There were very detailed risk specific risk assessments in place, which identified the risk, the potential outcomes and the actions which needed to be taken to minimise the risk as far as practicable.
The home was modern and nicely decorated. People who lived at the home chose the colours for all areas of the home. The equipment for example in the kitchen was of high quality and there was a programme of monitoring and replacement for all aspects of the home.
There were sufficient staff to not only meet people’s needs safely but also to ensure people were able to participate in activities which they enjoyed and which enriched their lives.
There were safe recruitment processes in use in the service, with all appropriate checks being carried out prior to staff commencing work.
Medicines were managed safely and the home was extremely clean.
All staff had received a comprehensive induction and received regular refresher training to ensure they had up to date knowledge. Staff told us the training was all classroom based and was interesting and effective.
The home was aware of and working to requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 one person who had their liberty restricted but had an authorised Deprivation of Liberty Safeguard to ensure this had been done legally.
People had access to nutritious and healthy meals and drinks. People who lived at the home were able to choose the meals which would be served as part of their inclusion in the running of the home.
We saw staff were kind, caring and very considerate. Staff treated people with dignity and respect and there was an obvious fondness between staff and people who used the services.
Care plans were very detailed and person centred. There was evidence throughout of people’s likes, dislikes and preferences.
The registered manager was very visible in the service and despite being based in another building was clearly a very regular presence in the home.
There were robust policies and procedures in place, which incorporated the organisation's vision and values. There was regular monitoring and auditing of all aspects of the service to ensure any issues were picked up. Where there had been any issues there was clear records of the actions which had been taken in response.
The home was delivering high quality services which were improving the levels of independence and confidence of the people who lived there.