Archived: Selwyn House

Updated 4 October 2016

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 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 31 August 2016 and was unannounced. It was carried out by an adult social care inspector.

Before the inspection, the provider completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We looked at the information in the PIR and also looked at other information we held about the service before the inspection visit. At our last inspection of the service in November 2013 we did not identify any concerns with the care provided to people.

Selwyn House is a residential centre run by the local authority. It provides accommodation and personal care for up to eight people with learning disabilities. Some of the people staying there also have physical disabilities. Everybody using the service lives there on a temporary basis under an arrangement known as residential short breaks. Most of the people staying at Selwyn House will continue to do so on a regular basis. At the time of the inspection there were four people staying at the home, one person was due to go home and another person arrived in the afternoon for a short stay.

We spoke with four people, and five staff members as well as the registered manager. We looked at records which related to people’s individual care and the running of the service. Records seen included two care and support plans, quality audits and action plans, three staff recruitment files and records of meetings and staff training.

Updated 4 October 2016

This inspection was unannounced and took place on 31 August 2016.

Selwyn House is a residential centre run by the local authority. It provides accommodation and personal care for up to eight people with learning disabilities. Some of the people staying there also have physical disabilities. Everybody using the service lives there on a temporary basis under an arrangement known as residential short breaks. Most of the people staying at Selwyn House will continue to visit on a regular basis.

The last full inspection of the service was carried out in November 2013. No concerns were identified with the care being provided to people at that inspection.

There was a registered manager in post. 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 building had been refurbished since the last inspection in response to the needs of people using the service. The registered manager explained how it was a “blank canvas”. They planned to invite people using the service to decorate it with their own art creations, so it was owned and run for them. They had plans for a sensory garden so people with an interest in gardening could continue their hobby during their respite stay.

People were supported to take part in activities as far as possible within a short stay respite setting. Staff planned activities three to four weeks in advance knowing which people would be returning to the home in that time. During the day most people would either go to work or the day centre, people who stayed in the home were enabled to continue to follow a hobby. One person said, “This new home is great they have Wi-Fi and I can play on my Xbox and download my music.”

There were procedures in place to keep people safe. These included a robust recruitment process and training for all staff to make sure they were able to recognise and report any suspicions of abuse. People told us they felt safe when they stayed at the home. One person said, “Yes safe as houses.”

There were sufficient numbers of staff to keep people safe and to provide care and support in an unhurried manner. People told us staff were always kind and caring. Throughout the inspection there was a cheerful, relaxed and caring atmosphere.

The management of the home was described as open and approachable and we were told by people and staff that they would be comfortable to raise any concerns. Where concerns had been raised within the home, appropriate action had been taken to make sure people were fully protected.

The registered manager’s philosophy for the way they saw the support they provided was to ensure people’s lives were, “Enriched and better, providing a person centred environment where they can be relaxed, open, honest and happy. This is only achieved if it is customer focused throughout.” This was reflected in the way staff spoke about enabling people to do what they wanted and when they wanted to. The registered manager’s philosophy was reflected in team meetings and the day to day running of the home.

People were able to make choices about all aspects of their day to day lives. Staff were able to use a variety of communication methods to help people to make choices. Where people lacked the capacity to make decisions for themselves, staff knew how to support them in accordance with their legal rights.

Everyone had a support plan which was personal to them, and people or their representatives were involved in reviews of their care. Support plans gave information about people’s needs, wishes and preferred routines. This meant staff had enough information to provide appropriate support to each individual.

Medicines were administered safely. Medicines were administered by staff who had received suitable training. Safe procedures were followed when recording medicines. Medicines administration records (MAR) were accurate. There were no unexplained gaps in the medicines administration records. Audits of medicines had been completed and appropriate actions taken to monitor safe administration and storage.