22 Abbey Drive (West) is registered to provide accommodation for persons who require nursing and personal care for up to six younger adults with a learning disability and or autistic spectrum disorder related conditions. The younger adults attend the local Linkage college facility full time and the service is closed during college holidays. The service is a large detached period property in a central location in the town close to all local amenities. Accommodation is provided over two floors with stairs access to the first floor.
The service had 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.
This inspection took place on 1 December 2015. At the last inspection on 11 October 2013, the registered provider was compliant with all the regulations we assessed.
During the inspection we saw staff were attentive and very caring when supporting people. Comments from relatives were very complimentary and consistent stating they were extremely happy with the care, treatment and support the service provided. Relatives felt every opportunity was provided to safely maximise people’s independence. They also told us communication with support and college staff was excellent.
The service developed and maintained strong links with external organisations and within the local community. There was a strong emphasis on key principles of care such as compassion, inclusion, respect, dignity and enablement.
The safety of people who used the service was taken seriously and managers and staff were well aware of their responsibility to protect people’s health and wellbeing. People we spoke with told us they felt safe living in the home.
We found people’s care plans were written in a way that clearly described their care, treatment and support needs. These were regularly evaluated, reviewed and updated. The care plan format was easy for people to understand by the use of pictures and symbols. We saw evidence to demonstrate that people and their relatives were involved in their care planning.
The staff understood the procedures they needed to follow to ensure people were kept safe. They were able to describe the different ways that people might experience abuse and the correct steps to take if they were concerned that abuse had taken place.
Our observations during the inspection showed us people were supported by sufficient numbers of staff. We saw staff were responsive to people’s needs. We saw there was a recruitment system in place that helped the employer make safer recruitment decisions when employing new staff.
Staff were enabled to become skilled practitioners through a system of induction, training, and continual professional development.
People’s nutritional needs were met and people were supported to shop for food supplies and were assisted to prepare meals. We saw staff monitored people’s health and responded quickly to any concerns. People received their medicines as prescribed and had access to a range of professionals for advice, treatment and support.
People participated in a range of vocational, educational and personal development programmes at the organisation’s college facility. They also accessed a range of community facilities and completed activities within the service. They were encouraged to follow and develop social interests and be active and healthy. All programmes and support were geared to maximise the person’s independence and support them into adulthood.
People who used the service were encouraged to make their own decisions. Staff followed the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 when there were concerns people lacked capacity and important decisions needed to be made.
There was strong leadership which put people first, set high expectations for staff and led by example. There was an open culture and a clear vision and values, which were put into practice. Staff were proud to work for the service and felt valued for their work. A positive culture was demonstrated by the attitudes of staff and management when we talked with them about how they supported people.