Archived: Birtenshaw Supported Living

Updated 23 September 2015

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.

This inspection took place on 24 July 2015 and was announced. The provider was given 48 hours’ notice because the location provides a domiciliary care service for younger adults who are often out during the day; and we needed to be sure that someone would be in.

The inspection was carried out by one adult social care inspector to keep any disruption to the younger adults living at the home to a minimum.

Prior to our inspection we looked at the information we held on the service including notifications.

We spoke with the four people who lived at the home and the staff on duty, including the acting manager and the senior in charge of the home.

We looked at records held by the service including two care plans, three staff files, staff training and supervisions, minutes of meeting, maintenance certificates and audits.

Updated 23 September 2015

This announced inspection took place on 24 July 2015. The last inspection was carried out on 16 April 2013 and the service was found to be meeting all regulatory requirements inspected.

For the purpose of this report people living at the home wish to be referred to as young adults.

The service provides personal care and support for four young adults with learning difficulties and/or physical disabilities, living in a supported tenancy. The young adults had previously been cared for at Birtenshaw School and on reaching adulthood had moved into their own home. Care and support are provided 24 hours a day, whilst promoting the maximum independence of each person.

The property is an adapted bungalow in the Bromley Cross area of Bolton and is close to local amenities and public transport.

There was no registered manager at the home at the time of our inspection. The acting manager explained they had applied to become the registered manager had been forwarded to the Care Quality Commission. 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.

The service had a senior member of staff in post who has the responsibility for the running of the home and was also available to assist with inspection. The senior member of staff was supported by the acting manager.

We met with all the young adults living at the home. It was evident from their conservations and actions that they were comfortable with the staff on duty and that good relationships had been made between them.

There was an up to date vulnerable adults safeguarding policy in place and information and safeguarding contact numbers were accessible to staff. Staff had undertaken training in both child protection and safeguarding vulnerable adults and demonstrated a good understanding of what constitutes abuse.

We saw that the service carried out robust recruitment procedures. We looked at three staff files and these contained an application form, references and further proof of identity, for example a copy of their birth certificate. Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks were carried out. A DBS helps to ensure that staff were suitable to work with vulnerable adults.