This inspection took place on 23 and 24 November 2015 and was unannounced. Dolphin Court is registered to offer support and accommodation for up to 15 people with learning disabilities. On the days of our visit there were 14 people living at the home. Care was provided in three adjoining houses and three separate flats above the houses. The flats are for single occupancy and had their own entrances. Three flats were occupied and 11 people lived in three houses.
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. There was a registered manager with overall responsibility for Dolphin Court, and an assistant manager for each of the three houses and flats and they are line managed by the registered manager.
We carried out a comprehensive inspection of this service in December 2014 and found the provider was not meeting the legal requirements in relation to standards of care and welfare for people who use the service. Staff were not consistently aware of safeguarding procedures, and not all incidents had been reported appropriately. There were not always enough staff to ensure the needs of people could be met at all times. Risk assessments did not always identify the risk and the support that people required and some care plans had not been updated to reflect changes in people’s needs. The service was not always well led; staff did not always know who was in charge. We asked the service to submit an action plan telling us when they would be compliant and this was received.
At this inspection, we found the provider had made improvements to how the service was run. The service had robust systems in place to maintain people’s safety at all times. For example risk assessments were carried out to identify and minimise both known and unknown risks to people.
Staff had comprehensive knowledge of their responsibilities in relation to safeguarding people from abuse. Staff were aware of the differing types of abuse and how these may present, who to inform of suspected abuse and how to maintain peoples confidentiality.
The service was aware of and met the legal obligations around the Mental capacity Act and deprivation of liberty safeguards.
Staff underwent a comprehensive induction period and ongoing training which enabled them to effectively support people in their care.
Staff were able to identify their own training needs and request additional training if needed.
Medicines were administered, recorded and stored in line with company policy and good practice. Staff were aware of the importance of medicines management and showed good knowledge of the medicines they administered and their purpose.
The service operated a person centred approach to the delivery of care which meant that care was tailored to the individual’s needs. People were encouraged to be involved in decisions about their care where appropriate.
Family members, healthcare professionals and advocates contributed to people’s care plans and risk assessments.
Staff treated people with dignity and respect at all times. Staff had significant knowledge of the people they supported and were observed encouraging people to express their needs in a positive and inclusive manner.
The service had a warm and welcoming atmosphere where people were encouraged to share their views and opinions. Throughout the inspection staff were observed interacting with people in a professional and warm manner.
The service had adequate numbers of staff at all time to ensure people’s needs were met.
People were supported to access external health care professionals to ensure their health and wellbeing was monitored and maintained.
The registered provider had supported the registered manager and their staff with additional resources to improve the management, staffing, care planning and quality assurance systems at the home. Relatives and staff felt positive in the recent changes in the service
At this inspection we found the registered provider and manager had met all of the requirements of the Regulations to meet the fundamental standards.