We carried out a review of the data available to us about Dimensions 87 Hazel Avenue on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about Dimensions 87 Hazel Avenue, you can give feedback on this service.
Dimensions 87 Hazel Avenue is a residential care home providing personal care for five people at the time of inspection who were living with a learning disability or/and autism. The service can support up to five people.
The service applied the principles and values of Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These ensure that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes that include control, choice and independence.
The outcomes for people using the service reflected the principles and values of Registering the Right Support by promoting choice and control, independence and inclusion. People's support focused on them having as many opportunities as possible for them to gain new skills and become more independent.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People received a service that was safe, effective, caring, responsive and well led.
Systems were in place to keep people safe from the risk of harm and abuse. People's needs were met by suitable numbers of staff who knew them well. People received their medicines as prescribed and were protected from the risk of infection.
People using the service received planned person-centred care and support that was appropriate and inclusive for them. The service worked closely with other health professionals to ensure people's health needs were met.
People were treated with kindness and respect and staff spoke fondly about them. People's privacy and dignity were respected, and they received personalised care which was responsive to their individual needs.
People had support plans in place which covered a range of information about them, their life histories, preferences, likes and dislikes and their support needs. The provider sought feedback from people’s families to improve the service.
The registered manager had a sound overview of the service and had effective systems in place to monitor safety and quality.
People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection
The last rating for this service was good (published 10 March 2017)
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our reinspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.
The service had a registered manager who also managers another service that is owned by the provider. 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.
Dimensions 87 Hazel Avenue provides accommodation and personal care for up to five adults with learning disabilities, physical disabilities or both. At the time of the inspection four men were living at the service, who were over the age of 55. The environment was safe and had been purpose built to suit the needs of people who were wheelchair users or who had restricted mobility, as it provided level access throughout.
People who lived at the service had their own individual ways of communication through eye contact, gestures or noises. Throughout the inspection we saw staff responding to people’s needs and providing care and support in a person centred manner. Staff were able to immediately recognise when people needed or wanted help or support, however the need was expressed. However, not all the recording of people’s needs was being done in a person centred way and not all guidance for staff was clear in order to demonstrate how changes in some people’s needs had been addressed.
People were encouraged to make decisions about their daily care and support. We saw how well staff understood people’s communication needs which enabled staff to support people to make choices. Where people needed to have a legal representative or relative represent their views then these were sought and acted upon. A relative/legal representative told us: “Plenty of opportunity to change things about [person’s name] care if I wanted” and they went on to explain how staff then acted on what they had said to further improve the person’s support.
People were kept safe because staff understood their responsibilities in protecting people and knew how to report any concerns. People were enabled to take positive risks as part of a person centred lifestyle.
People were supported by staff who consistently demonstrated kindness, compassion and a genuine interest in the people they supported. People showed us positive signs that they were relaxed and at ease with staff and their surroundings. A relative/ persons representatives told us: “He is very well and settled and very happy there, he has a really good relationship with staff and they have a good understanding of his communication needs”.
There were sufficient skilled staff to meet people’s individual needs in a timely and safe way. A staff member said “There is now much more of a focus on staffing levels designed to meet the needs of the residents as they have just recently changed the shift patterns in the morning, it makes it much better”. Many of the staff were new to the service but had previously worked in the provider’s other services and they told us about their positive induction into the service. One staff member said: “I was given time to get to know people, it gave me the confidence I needed to know what I was supposed to be doing”. Staff spoke enthusiastically about recent ‘active support training’ which is a method of enabling people with learning disabilities to engage more in their daily lives. A staff member said “It has changed the way we support and now get people more involved”.
People were supported to maintain good health and to access healthcare services as and when required.
People were engaged in individual meaningful occupation and activities and were supported to take part in wider community activities. Staff told us: “Lot more interaction here now with the residents and you have time to do this as there is no rush”. A relatives /persons representative told us: “They look to support each client individually to find activities which they are interested in, they are always looking at the individual activities, always individually geared”.
The service was in a period of positive transition. There was new leadership and a significant number of new staff who were enthusiastic and committed to implement and embed changes in order to further improve the experiences of people living at the service. A relative/persons representative commented: “The home may have been struggling in the past but defiantly picked up recently, staff perhaps in the past were a little too relaxed, with the change of manager much more attentive, there is an intent of very high level of care, it is very observable. Everyone’s so interactive now”.
The quality of the service provided was kept under review and was monitored by the Registered Manager and the provider to help continually drive improvements to the service.
During the inspection we observed that the house was clean and that people using the service were involved in maintaining the cleanliness. One member of staff told us "we keep them involved in the housekeeping as much as possible".
We observed that staff asked people about how and when they wanted their care and support. This indicated that people were involved in planning their care on a daily basis.
People chose how to occupy themselves in the service. We observed that people were spending time in the communal areas reading books, watching television and interacting with staff. We observed staff spending the majority of their time with people who used the service, going shopping, listening to music, attending the library and bowling. They frequently checked on them to ensure they were alright when spending time on their own.
The manager told us "we try to involve as many professionals as possible to ensure that people's dietary and nutritional needs are met".
One member of staff told us "the residents are all great here. We have fun, a joke and a laugh - we make it as much fun as possible. It is nice to leave work knowing you have made a difference and made someone smile".
People used noise, gesture, body language and facial expressions to express themselves. The staff knew people well enough to interpret their choices, moods and feelings.
We used a variety of methods to gain an understanding of people's experiences including observing the interactions between staff and people who used the service, talking to staff and reviewing the records.
We observed that the staff spoke to people with respect and they offered them choices. Staff supported and assisted people to attend their chosen activities and to take part in activities in the home.
The care plans gave an extremely detailed picture of the individual support each person required to meet all aspects of their health and care needs.
The staff were able to describe people's needs and how these were met.