This unannounced inspection took place on Saturday 17th January 2015 and was conducted by one adult social care inspector.
Springfield House was a family home set in a rural location. This farmhouse had been adapted and extended to provide accommodation for up to three people living with a learning disability. The provider's family also lived in the house.
Each person had their own room and there was a separate lounge area and residents' bathroom and toilet. The house had an extensive garden. It was in a rural location between Wigton and Silloth with little access to public transport but the provider had assisted transport so that people could go out every day if they wished.
The provider, Mrs Margaret Blair, was also the manager of the home. She ran the home with the assistance of her daughter-in-law. They both lived in the house with other members of their immediate family. One other person assisted them from time to time and they had a volunteer who helped with some of the domestic tasks.
This service was safe because it had suitable systems in place to ensure that people were protected from harm and abuse. The care team in the home were suitably trained and had information to allow them to report any allegations of abuse.
We judged the house to be safe and secure with suitable adaptations to meet the needs of the three individuals we met on the day of our inspection visit. There had been no accidents or incidents reported for some years.
All the members of the care team had been in post for more than ten years and there was no planned new recruitment. We looked at dependency levels and we judged that the provider and her daughter-in-law were able to provide suitable levels of care.
We checked on medicines. We saw that only two people took medication and that this was kept to a minimum by the local GP. No one was on strong medicine and no one had any form of sedation.
The house was clean and hygienic and there had been no outbreaks of infectious disease. Suitable systems were in place to control infection.
We judged that the dependency levels of the three people in the house were met by the arrangements in place for staffing. The provider and her daughter-in-law lived in the property and were around by day and night. Both of these people and the other person who delivered care were experienced in the care of people with learning disability and they kept their practice up to date by attending regular training.
The provider was aware of her responsibilities under the Mental Capacity Act 2005. No one in the home was deprived of their liberty. The provider was careful about the assessment of new people and did not accommodate anyone who needed help with behavioural issues. The home did not use restraint.
People in the home had regular access to health care. They went out to health appointments and no one had any problems with their health. There was evidence of good measures in place to prevent ill health.
No one in the home had any problems with maintaining a normal weight. People could tell us they enjoyed their food and liked to go out to eat. People were weighed regularly so that the provider could ensure no one was losing weight.
We saw affectionate and caring interactions between the care providers in the home and the three people who lived there. We also saw that other members of the family interacted well with people in the home. The care in the home was very much as it would be in a large family. People were encouraged to be as independent as possible. They were given explanations and information about daily arrangements when we were in the house. Privacy and dignity was maintained by the care approach and people could spend their time in their own personal rooms or spend time with the family.
We looked at individual care files and saw that there were good assessments, risk assessments and care plans in place. The care plans were detailed, focussed on individual needs and strengths and were up to date and appropriate to each person.
One person in the house went out to a day centre and was involved in some active pursuits. The other two people preferred a quieter life but all three people went on regular holidays and days out. They all attended a weekly social club and were supported to visit their family where appropriate.
There had been no complaints or concerns about the care and services provided and no one on the day had any complaints. There were suitable systems in place to manage complaints.
We judged that the service was well led by the provider who had over thirty years of experience in caring for people with a learning disability in a family setting. The systems in place for monitoring all aspects of care and services were simple but effective.
We saw that there were audits of medication and money held on people’s behalf. We also saw that care plans were kept up to date. The local authority and the pharmacist who provided medication did some audits for the provider. We also saw that the provider surveyed the people in the home, their relatives and visiting professionals. There were no concerns raised in the surveys but some minor adjustments were made from suggestions made.
The provider had a lot of local knowledge and ran a weekly social club for people with disability in the area. She also ensured that people in the service went out to local entertainments and events. We judged that the provider encouraged people to be part of the local community and to have as full a life as possible.