Sheffield Crisis House

Updated 30 December 2023

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

Inspection team

The inspection team consisted of 1 inspector and an Expert by Experience.

An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

Sheffield Crisis House is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing and/or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement dependent on their registration with us. Sheffield Crisis House is a care home without nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

The inspection was unannounced

What we did before the inspection

We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We sought feedback from the local authority who work with the service. We reviewed the information we held about the service since the last inspection. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke to 3 people, 1 relative, 1 external professional and a volunteer about their experience of the service. We spoke with 4 staff, including the registered manager and support staff. We reviewed 2 care records, 2 staff files and various records relating to medicines management. We reviewed a variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures, audits and checks.

Updated 30 December 2023

About the service

Sheffield Crisis House is a residential care home providing short term support to people experiencing a mental health crisis. Sheffield Crisis House is registered to provide accommodation for persons who require nursing or personal care. However, it is a condition of the registered provider's registration they must not provide nursing care. The service can provide support to up to 7 people. At the time of our inspection there were 3 people using the service.

People’s experience of the service and what we found:

People were safeguarded from the risk of abuse. People told us they felt safe during their short term stays at the service. Risks posed to people were assessed upon admission and mitigated. Environmental safety checks were regularly conducted to protect people from risks during a period of mental health crisis. However, radiator covers which protect people from the risks of burns, were not in place at the time of the inspection. The provider had recognised this, and plans were in place to ensure all radiators were safely covered.

People were supported by enough staff. Staff were recruited safely, and people and relatives told us staff were kind and caring. Where people were supported to take their medicines, this was safely managed. Staff were trained and understood their roles in relation to infection, prevention and control. The service was visibly clean and audit systems were in place to ensure staff adhered to and promoted appropriate infection control practices. The provider had systems in place to monitor accidents and incidents. Action was taken to mitigate future risks to people and learn lessons from them.

Care records were individualised and contained information about people's preferences and needs. Staff felt supported in their roles and told us morale was good within the team. Staff received regular supervisions and attended team meetings, to provide them with opportunities to raise concerns and make suggestions.

Overarching governance systems were in place to ensure the provider monitored the quality and safety of the service. The service had a welcoming and calm atmosphere. People and relatives told us the service was well led. Feedback was sought from people upon them leaving the service and used to improve the quality of care. There had been no formal complaints made at the time of our inspection, people and staff understood how to raise concerns if needed.

The registered manager understood their roles under duty of candour and made external reports to CQC and the local authority, where required.

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 12 September 2018).

At our last inspection we recommended the provider updated fire safety records, reviewed staffing allocations and updated some care records. At this inspection we found the provider had taken action to improve in these areas.

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by the time since the last inspection at the service.

We undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of safe and well-led only. For those key question not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Sheffield Crisis House on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Follow Up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.