This inspection took place on 11 June 2015. The last inspection of this home was carried out on 9 July 2013. The service met the regulations we inspected against at that time.
Moorpine provides care and support for three people who have autism spectrum condition. The care home is a detached family house in a residential area near the city centre. The service is situated beside two similar small care homes and all three services are managed by the same registered manager.
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 people who lived at the home had complex needs that meant they were unable to express their views. Relatives made positive comments about the service. They described the service as safe and said people felt “settled” at the home. Relatives felt included in decisions about their family member’s care. Staff were clear about how to recognise and report any suspicions of abuse. Any concerns had been investigated to make sure people were protected.
Medicines were managed in the right way, but a recent change in medicines records had led to some recording errors which meant staff needed more instruction in this. There were enough staff employed to make sure people had one-to-one support when they needed it. There had been a few changes to staff members to create a better mix of skills and experience. Relatives said they would like more information about staff changes in the future. In most areas the premises were safe, comfortable and well decorated. However the bathroom had a split in the flooring and the shower tray base was cracked, which presented health and safety hazards for the people who lived here. These were addressed shortly after the inspection visit.
Relatives told us they had confidence in the way people’s needs were met by the service. One relative commented, “My [family member] requires a high level and very complex level of support and we are appreciative of the efforts that the organisation make towards this for him and the other residents.”
Relatives also felt staff were competent and supported to provide the specialist service to meet their family member’s needs. Staff were well trained in supporting people with autism. Staff understood the Mental Capacity Act 2005 for people who lacked capacity to make a decision and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards to make sure any restrictions were in people’s best interests. For example all of the people who lived there needed staff support and supervision when out in the community because they had little understanding of road safety.
People were supported to enjoy an active lifestyle that included healthy diets which met their individual preferences. They were encouraged to be involved in shopping, choosing and preparing meals.
Relatives felt staff understood each person and supported them in a way that met their specific needs. They felt fully involved in reviews about their family member’s care. Relatives told us they felt people were well cared for in the home. Each person had a range of social and vocational activities they could take part in. People’s choice about whether to engage in these activities was respected.
Relatives were invited to comment on the service in an informal way and they felt able to give their views about the home at any time. The results of previous annual satisfaction questionnaires had not been collated so they had not been shared with relatives and other relevant agencies, but this was going to be done in the future. People and relatives had some information about how to make a complaint, although this did not contain contact details about who to complain to. However relatives said they were confident that any issues would be looked into.
Relatives and staff felt the organisation was well run and the home was well managed. One relative commented, “The people in the organisation care about the people who use its service. They are very willing and understand people’s needs.” There was an open, approachable and positive culture within the home and in the organisation.