Archived: Birwood

Updated 16 July 2015

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.

We visited the service on 11 June 2015. Our inspection was unannounced and the inspection team consisted of an adult social care inspector.

During our visit to the service we held discussions with all of the people who used the service. People were unable to communicate verbally, however they communicated with us by use of signs and gestures. We looked at care records for two people, spoke with two staff and the manager and observed how people were cared for. We also looked at staff records and records relating to the management of the service.

Before our inspection we reviewed the information we held about the service including notifications of incidents that the provider had sent us since the last inspection. We contacted local commissioners of the service and the local authority safeguarding team. They raised no concerns about the service.

Updated 16 July 2015

This was an unannounced inspection, carried out on 11 June 2015.

Birwood is a care home providing personal care for three adults with learning disabilities. The service is operated by Community Integrated Care. The property has three bedrooms, a lounge, a kitchen with dining area and a small room which is used as an office. There are gardens to the front and rear of the property. At the time of our inspection there were 3 people using the service.

The service does not have a registered manager. 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 last inspection of Birwood was carried out in April 2014 and we found that the service was not meeting all the regulations we assessed. The provider sent us an action plan outlining how and when they intended to meet the regulations. During this inspection we found that the required improvements had been made within the timescale set by the provider.

Improvements had been made to ensure people had access meaningful activities both at home and in the local community. People were supported to access a range of activities and events which they enjoyed.

People were safe and staff treated them well. Staff knew what their responsibilities were for protecting people from abuse and for reporting any concerns they had about people’s safety.

People’s needs were assessed and planned for and staff had information about how to meet people’s needs. People’s wishes and preferences and their preferred method of communication were reflected in the care plans. Daily records which were maintained for each person showed they had received the right care and support. Care plans were regularly reviewed and updated to ensure they remained up to date.

Robust recruitment checks were carried out to ensure applicants were suitable to work with people in a care setting.

The service was clean and hygienic and infection control practices were followed to minimise the spread of infection. Staff were confident about dealing with emergencies and emergency equipment was in place and easily accessible.

People were cared for and supported by the right amount of suitably skilled and experienced staff. Staff received the training and support to carry out their job and they were provided with opportunities to develop within their roles.

Staff worked well with external health and social care professionals to make sure people received all the care and support they needed. People were referred onto to the appropriate service when concerns about their health or wellbeing were noted. Medication was managed safely and people received their medication on time.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is required by law to monitor the operation of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005 Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) and to report on what we find. Policies and procedures were in place to guide staff in relation to the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). Decisions made on behalf of people were made in accordance with the law to ensure they were made in people’s best interests.

The service was being well managed by a person described as fair, approachable and supportive. Systems for checking the service people received were in place and improvements were made.