Archived: Springfield House

Updated 22 December 2014

We visited Springfield House on 8 July 2014. This was an unannounced visit. On the day of our visit we spoke with the three people who were living at Springfield House, three care staff and the divisional manager. We observed care and support in communal areas and saw a range of records about people’s care and how the home was managed.

The inspection team consisted of a lead inspector. Before our inspection we reviewed the information we held about the home. This included previous inspection reports and information supplied to us by the provider. We reviewed the Provider Information Record (PIR) which was information given to us by the provider. This enabled us to ensure we were addressing potential areas of concern and those that had not been reviewed for a while. We also spoke with two commissioners (from the local authority) to gather their views on the service.

At our last inspection in November 2013 we did not identify any concerns with the care provided to people who lived at Springfield House. During this inspection we looked at care plans for two people, three staff files and documents in respect of the homes quality assurance systems and medication processes.

This report was written during the testing phase of our new approach to regulating adult social care services. After this testing phase, inspection of consent to care and treatment, restraint, and practice under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) was moved from the key question ‘Is the service safe?’ to ‘Is the service effective?

The ratings for this location were awarded in October 2014. They can be directly compared with any other service we have rated since then, including in relation to consent, restraint, and the MCA under the ‘Effective’ section. Our written findings in relation to these topics, however, can be read in the ‘Is the service safe’ sections of this report.

Updated 22 December 2014

We carried out this unannounced  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 and to pilot a new inspection process being introduced by CQC which looks at the overall quality of the service.

Springfield House provides accommodation and personal care for up to five people who have autistic spectrum disorders. There were three people living at the home on the day of the inspection visit. The home had appointed a  manager and their application to be formally registered with the Care Quality Commission had been received.  A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service and shares the legal responsibility for meeting the requirements of the law with the provider. The manager of Springfield House was on leave and therefore was not present during this visit. However the divisional manager had previously  been the manager of the service until June 2014 and therefore attended to assist with this inspection.

On the day of the inspection we saw people looked well cared for and their needs were met quickly and appropriately. People who used the service had complex health and communication needs and therefore feedback was limited. One person told us “its good here”.

We saw people were happy living at Springfield House. The atmosphere was friendly and relaxed and we observed staff and people enjoying each others company.  We saw staff talking with people in a friendly manner. We saw they assisted people as they needed  whilst encouraging people to be independent.

We found the service was meeting the requirements of the Deprivation of Liberties Safeguards. People’s human rights were properly recognised, respected and promoted.

We saw care records were of a high standard and contained detailed information to guide staff who were supporting people. Risk assessments were completed and regularly reviewed. We found people were supported to live full and active lives and access the local community. People were able to take part in a varied range of activities which reflected their individual hobbies and interests.

Staff demonstrated a caring attitude towards the people living at Springfiled House. People were supported to maintain strong relationships with their families. People’s preferred method of communication was taken into account and respected.

Staff were well supported through a system of induction,training, supervision, appraisal and professional development.

There was a positive culture within the service which was demonstrated by the attitudes of staff when we spoke with them and their approach to supporting people to develop their independence. We saw the service was orgainsed to suit the needs of the people who lived there.

We found there were positive relationships between staff and management. Everyone who worked at Springfield house who we spoke with demonstrated compassion and respect for the people they supported.

The service was well-led. The views of people living at Springfield  House and those of the staff team were actively sought out by the manager. Accidents and incidents were appropriately recorded and analysed. There were robust quality assurance systems in place.