Archived: Barnhill Road

We considered all of the evidence that we had gathered under the outcomes that we inspected. We used that information to answer the five key questions that we always ask;

' Is the service caring?

' Is the service responsive?

' Is the service safe?

' Is the service effective?

' Is the service well led?

Below is a summary of what we found. The detailed evidence supporting our summary can be read in our full report.

Is the service safe?

We saw that care and support was carefully planned to meet service users' needs. There were enough suitably trained staff at all times to meet those needs and support people to reach their agreed goals. Equipment necessary to care for people safely was available and well maintained. Measures were in place to safeguarded people from abuse and staff received regular training about safeguarding vulnerable adults.

Is the service effective?

People's health and care needs had been assessed and care plans were in place. Relatives had been involved in planning care and support for people. Care plans were reviewed regularly. Relatives completed an annual survey and the results showed that they were very happy with the service provided.

Is the service caring?

We spoke to staff about people using the service and the way they spoke about people showed us that they cared about their welfare and happiness. We observed that when staff interacted with service users they were kind and cheerful and people responded to them positively. Throughout the day off-duty staff telephoned in to enquire about the condition of a service user who had been unwell.

Is the service responsive?

Staff responded to changes in people's mood and behaviour. We saw that staff responded appropriately to the health needs of service users. We saw that relatives often sent 'thank-you' cards to the home to thank staff for particular thoughtfulness or for arranging birthday parties or other events.

Is the service well led?

Staff all received annual appraisals and regularly met with the manager to discuss their performance and the care and support provided to people using the service. The service had an effective system to monitor the quality of the service they provided. The manager was actively involved in developing and reviewing care and support plans and in leading staff to improve the way they worked. The service was well led.

We found that people's needs had been regularly assessed and that they had care plans in place which provided staff with detailed information about their needs and how they were to be met. People's choices and preferences with regards to their care and treatment had been incorporated into to their plans of care and we found that staff had respected these.

Staff gave people choices and encouraged them to make choices and decisions using their preferred method of communication which staff understood and responded to.

People were given their medication at the right times by staff who had received the appropriate training.

Staff told us that their manager was very supportive. We saw records which showed that staff had received training and supervision appropriate to their needs.

There was an effective complaints procedure in place which had been made available to people who used the service and their relatives. Relatives of people who used the service told us that they had no complaints about the service but if they did they would tell the manager who they thought would deal with it in the right way.