SENSE Jenny Chapman House

Updated 20 October 2017

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2014 and to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Before the inspection we reviewed information we held about the service including statutory notifications. Statutory notifications include information about important events which the provider is required to send us. We had not requested the provider information return (PIR) prior to this inspection.

The inspection was unannounced and carried out by one inspector.

During the inspection we were unable to speak with people who used the service in depth due to their complex health needs. Following the inspection we spoke with two relatives to obtain their views on the service people experienced. We spoke with three staff members and the registered manager. We received information from service commissioners. We viewed information relating to two people’s care and support. We also reviewed records relating to the management of the service.

We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us due to their complex health needs.

Updated 20 October 2017

This inspection was carried out on 26 and 29 September 2017 and was unannounced. At their last inspection on 2 November 2015, they were found to be meeting the standards we inspected. At this inspection we found that they had continued to meet all the standards.

Sense Jenny Chapman House provides accommodation for up to seven people with learning and physical disabilities. The home is not registered to provide nursing care. At the time of the inspection there were seven people living there.

The service had manager who was registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC). A registered manager is a person who has registered with the CQC 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

People’s medicines were managed safely, however, the records relating to medicines were not always accurate. In addition, although there were fire drills, a drill had not been completed, or considered as a need, during the night when staff numbers were at their lowest and people were in bed. There were systems in place to monitor the quality of the service. However, the quality assurance systems had not identified this as a requirement. These were areas that required improvement.

People were not able to tell us if they felt safe but we saw they enjoyed interacting with staff. Relatives felt people were safe.

There were sufficient staff to meet people’s needs. Staff were recruited robustly and had received regular training and supervision.

People had their rights respected and staff followed the principles of the MCA 2005. Consent was sought and choices were given. People received a variety of foods that they enjoyed and there were plans in place to ensure they received enough to eat and drink to maintain their health. There was regular access to health and social care professionals.

Relatives told us that staff were kind and staff told us how they promoted people’s identity and respected their preferences. People were supported in accordance with their wishes and preferences.

People received care that met their needs and support plans were detailed so that staff could provide them with care that was appropriate and safe. There were regular activities and outings on offer which supported people’s hobbies and interests.

There had been no recent complaints and people’s views were sought regularly. People and their relatives were involved in planning their care.