Background to this inspection
Updated
15 February 2019
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 09 November 2018 and was unannounced.
As part of the inspection we looked at information we held about the service and we asked the local authority if they had any information to share with us about the home. The Local Authority is responsible for monitoring the quality and for funding some of the person’s living at the service.
During our inspection we spoke to one person who lived at the service. We used different methods to gather other people’s experiences of what it was like to live at the service, such as observations of staff interaction with the person. We also spoke to the registered manager, the deputy manager, and seven members of staff. We also spoke to one relative by telephone. We also spoke with an advocate that represented a number of people living at the service.
We looked at records relating to the management of the service such as the care plans for two people, incident records, medicine management, staff meeting minutes and quality assurance records.
Updated
15 February 2019
1-5 Yorkminster Drive is a residential care home for up to 12 people with learning disabilities and Autism. The home is set across three bungalows and each home is set as a separate home. At the time of our inspection there were nine people living at the service.
At our last inspection we rated the service Good. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of Good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.
The inspection took place on the 09 November 2018 and was unannounced.
There was a registered manager at this home. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered providers and registered managers 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.
The care service had not originally been developed and designed in line with the values that underpin the Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These values include choice, promotion of independence and inclusion. People with learning disabilities and autism using the service can live as ordinary a life as any citizen. However, people were given choices and their independence and participation within the local community encouraged.
People were relaxed and at ease around care staff they knew well. Relatives were happy about the care their family member received. Staff were caring and promoted people’s independence and people were able to maintain important relationships with family and friends. People had food and drink they enjoyed and had choices available to them, to maintain a healthy diet. Staff knew the people who lived at the home well and were able to support them to eat and drink. People were protected against the risks associated with medicines because the provider had appropriate arrangements to manage them. Relatives told us their family members had access to health professionals as soon as they were needed and were confident they received support to maintain their wellbeing.
Staff were extremely passionate about providing care that was based on people’s individual needs. People demonstrated to us that they valued their relationships with the staff and relatives praised staff for the support they provided. People were comfortable in the staff's presence. Conversations were warm and friendly and lots of reassurance and comfort provided. Relatives told us there were no restrictions on when they could visit and they were always made welcome by staff and enjoyed special occasions with their family members.
People were treated sensitively by staff that knew their needs well. People were involved in planning their care and staff used communication methods appropriate for each person
Relatives felt assured their family member was safe and receiving the correct support from a sufficient number of staff. Staff received training and understood the signs of abuse, and systems were in place to guide them in reporting these. Staff understood individual circumstances and how to protect people from harm. Staff underwent recruitment processes that included background checks on the suitability of staff to work at the home. People received their medicines and checks were undertaken to ensure people had received their medicines safely.
The registered manager promoted a culture where staff were encouraged to feel part of a team that were proud of their work with people at the service. Staff were encouraged to contribute ideas and suggestions for improving how they supported people. The provider and registered manager had effective systems to monitor how care at the service was provided, to ensure people received quality care that was reviewed and updated regularly.