Mineral Cottage Residential Home Limited

Updated 12 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 checked 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.

The inspection took place on 14 December 2018 and was unannounced. This was a comprehensive inspection carried out by one inspector.

Before the inspection we reviewed the evidence, we had about the service. This included any notifications of significant events, such as serious injuries or safeguarding referrals. Notifications are information about important events which the provider is required to send us by law. The provider had completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We reviewed the PIR prior to our inspection. Prior to our inspection we contacted the local authority to gain their feedback about the service.

During the inspection we spoke with or spent time with three people who lived at the home, spoke with two members of staff and the registered manager. If people were unable to tell us directly about their experience, we observed the care they received and the interactions they had with staff. We spoke with two family members during the inspection. We looked at three people’s care records, including their assessments, care plans and risk assessments. We checked training records and how medicines were managed. We also looked at health and safety checks and quality monitoring checks.

Updated 12 February 2019

Mineral Cottage is registered to provide care for six people with complex learning needs and is located in Leeds. It is accessible by public transport and is near local amenities.

At the time of our unannounced inspection on 14 December 2018, there were six people living in the service. The care service has 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.

There was 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.

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.

People ‘s care and support was planned proactively in partnership with them. Staff used individual ways of involving people and people took a key role in the local community and had opportunity to access education and work. People were supported in a way that promoted an enhanced sense of well-being. They had facilities and support available to them to help them live as fulfilling a life as possible

People had opportunities to take part in activities that reflected their interests and preferences. People told us how much they enjoyed living at Mineral Cottage Residential Home Limited, spending time with their family and being given opportunities to learn and to work.

People were supported by sufficient numbers of appropriately skilled staff to meet their needs and keep them safe. Staff understood their responsibilities in safeguarding people from abuse and knew how to report any concerns they had. Staff were recruited in a safe way, although not all documentation was recorded as per the provider’s policies. We made a recommendation around adapting the provider’s policies to show the current process being used.

Risks to people’s safety were identified and action taken to keep people as safe as possible. Accidents and incidents were reviewed and measures implemented to reduce the risk of them happening again.

People lived in a service or environment which was clean and hygienic and both people who self-medicated and those who did not, received their medicines safely and as prescribed. We made a recommendation around monitoring the temperature of the medicines storage area.

People’s needs had been assessed before they moved into the service to ensure staff could provide the support they required. Staff had the training and support they needed to carry out their roles effectively. All staff attended an induction when they started work and had access to ongoing training.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People could make choices about the food they ate and were supported to maintain a healthy diet. People were supported to maintain good health and to obtain treatment when they needed it. Each person had a health action plan which detailed their health needs and the support they needed. Staff worked with external organisations and professionals to help provide the most effective care to people.

The home provided bright and spacious accommodation with access to outside space. People had been encouraged to choose the décor and were able to personalise their bedrooms.

Staff were kind, caring and compassionate. People had positive relationships with the staff who supported them and there was a homely, caring atmosphere in the home. Staff treated people with respect and maintained their dignity. People were supported to make choices about their care and to maintain relationships with their friends and families.

There were appropriate procedures for managing complaints. Where complaints had been received by the service these had been responded to appropriately.

People, relatives and staff benefited from good leadership provided by the registered manager. Relatives said management was open and transparent and it was clear from our discussions that they had a drive to continuously improve the service people received. Staff said there was a strong team ethos and they received good support from their colleagues. Staff had established effective links with health and social care professionals to ensure people received the care they needed.

People who lived at the home, their relatives and other stakeholders had opportunities to give their views. The provider’s quality monitoring systems were not always effective in ensuring people received good quality care and support. We made a recommendation around adapting the quality audit tool to identify what was being checked.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.