Wordsley Housing and Independent Living Services

Wordsley Housing and Independent Living Services provide care and support to people with mental health needs in ‘supported living’ settings. People received personal care and support to live in shared flats and houses as independently as possible.

In ‘supported living’ settings, people's care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) does not regulate premises used for supported living; this inspection looked at people's personal care and support.

At the time of the inspection, Wordsley Housing and Independent Living Services supported 25 people who lived in four different buildings.

In the accommodation we visited, some people had a bedroom and shared bathroom, as well as shared communal areas. Other accommodation on the site had kitchen areas for self-catering, and other people lived in shared houses adjacent to the main building.

People’s experience of using this service:

• People and their relatives told us that the service met their needs and was safe.

• People were supported by staff who were kind and respectful. People and their relatives were positive about staff and there were enough staff to meet people’s needs and support them safely. Safe recruitment procedures were in place.

• People were protected from the risk of harm as far as possible. The registered manager and staff were clear on their responsibilities to safeguard people. Policies and procedures were in place to protect people and staff.

• People’s care records provided relevant information and guidance for staff. Some records needed review to ensure they were up to date.

• Some quality assurance systems were in place to monitor and review service delivery and performance. Where audits had been carried out, plans were in place to improve the service as needed. We highlighted to the registered manager that a regular check of care records may help identify when reviews or routine updates were required. The manager planned to ensure regular checks were carried out.

• People were supported to participate in activities, and individual’s choices were respected. People were supported to have choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in place at the service supported this practice.

• Medicines were managed and administered safely and as prescribed by staff who had been trained.

• Staff were supported by the management team, and received training, induction and supervision so that they could effectively perform their roles.

• The provider had processes in place to enable them to respond to people's concerns, investigate them and take action as needed.

• More information is in our full report.

Rating at last inspection:

Good (report published 13 October 2016)

Why we inspected:

This was a planned inspection based on the rating at the last inspection.

Follow up:

We will continue to monitor the service through the information we receive. We will visit the service in line with our inspection schedule, or sooner if required.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

The manager was registered with us as is required by law. 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 a legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated regulations about how the service is run.

People were kept safe, with detailed risk assessments in place and staff were aware of people’s needs and how to support them. Medicines were given appropriately and staff felt confident in administering them. We found that there was a suitable amount of staff available with the skills, experience and training in order to meet people’s needs.

Staff were knowledgeable and they had received an appropriate induction, on-going training and regular supervision. Staff felt well supported by the registered manager and felt that they could speak with them at any time. Staff sought people’s consent prior to carrying out care and they had a good understanding on mental capacity. People’s ability to make important decisions was considered in line with the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. People enjoyed nutritious food and could access drinks whenever they chose to. People’s on-going health needs were maintained and staff assisted them to remain as healthy as possible.

People’s preferences were sought and acknowledged and they enjoyed participating in leisure interests. Complaints and concerns were listened to and responded to effectively. Staff maintained people’s privacy and dignity whilst encouraging them to remain as independent as possible. Staff spoke positively about the approachable nature and leadership skills of the registered manager. People told us that they were able to raise any concerns they had and felt confident they would be acted upon.

Although they were carried out, quality assurance audits were not always comprehensive and so not all areas of care provided could be analysed for trends and patterns. Systems for updating and reviewing risk assessments and care plans to reflect people’s level of support needs and any potential related risks were not carried out on a regular basis. The provider supported the registered manager and staff well. Notifications were sent to us as is required by law, so that we could see how staff responded to incidents that occurred.

People told us they were happy with the care they received. One person said, 'It's first class." Another said, "It's a nice place."

People appeared comfortable and relaxed around staff and each other. People we spoke with all said they felt safe. Staff had all received training in safeguarding vulnerable adults, knew how to recognise abuse and report it to the appropriate authority. This meant that staff had been trained to ensure people were safe.

During our inspection of 13th March 2013 we found that the arrangements to manage medicines were not safe or effective and that people were at risk. During this inspection we saw that those issues had been addressed and that people were protected against the risks associated with medicines.

There was a robust and effective selection and recruitment system in place. Appropriate checks were undertaken before staff began work.

People and a relative we spoke with said they knew how to raise a complaint or a concern and they would be confident to do so. People were given information about the complaints procedure when they began to use the service.

We found important information about people's medicines was not recorded, and records were not clear. There was a lack of appropriate arrangements in place to manage the risks associated with the unsafe use and management of medicines.

We saw that staff spent time with people giving them individual attention. We saw there were positive relationships between staff and people living a the home. This promoted people's sense of well being and self esteem.

We saw that staff treated people with respect and dignity. We saw that choices were offered and that people's views were sought and taken into consideration.

We found that people's needs had been assessed by a wide range of health professionals including dentists, specialist doctors and chiropodists. This meant that people's health care needs were being monitored and met.

We saw that some community based and in house activities were offered to suit people's needs and choices. People told us they enjoyed these activities.

The staff records we looked at demonstrated that they had received training which enabled them to meet the needs of people living in the home.

There were systems in place to monitor how the home was run to ensure people received a quality service.