Floshfield

Updated 9 July 2019

The inspection:

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team:

The inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Service and service type:

Floshfield is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection:

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did:

Before our inspection we reviewed the information we held on the service and completed our planning tool. We used information the provider sent us in the Provider Information Return. This is information we require providers to send us at least annually to give some key information about the service.

We also reviewed the information we held about the service, such as quality monitoring reports and notifications we had received from the registered provider. A notification is information about important events which the service is required to send us by law. We spoke with social workers, health care practitioners and commissioners of care during our regular contact with them. We had received regular updates from the provider based on their quality monitoring. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

We met with all six people in the home and with four support workers, the senior support worker and the registered manager.

We read three care files and related forms and documents. We looked at daily notes and records related to nutrition and medicines.

We saw rosters and training records for the team.

We saw records related to fire and food safety. We had been sent copies of quality audits for this service as part of the regular updates we receive from the provider.

Updated 9 July 2019

About the service

Floshfield is a care home situated in Cleator. It is operated by West House, a charitable organisation that provides care and support to people living in Cumbria with a learning disability or autism. Floshfield is registered to provide personal care to six adults. Accommodation is in single rooms in this dormer bungalow set in it's own grounds.

The service has been developed and designed in line with the principles and values that underpin Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. This ensures that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes. The principles reflect the need for people with learning disabilities and/or autism to live meaningful lives that include control, choice, and independence. People using the service receive planned and co-ordinated person-centred support that is appropriate and inclusive for them.

People’s experience of using this service

People told us they felt safe and, where they found it difficult to express themselves, they were relaxed in their own home and interacted well with staff. Staff had received suitable training about protecting vulnerable adults. Accidents, incidents, complaints and concerns were responded to appropriately. People told us they had good support from staff. The registered manager kept staffing rosters under review as people's needs changed. People or their relatives were involved in recruitment. New members of staff were specifically selected to work with individuals in the home and had been suitably vetted.

Staff were appropriately inducted, trained and developed to give the best support possible. We met team members who understood people's needs and who had suitable training and experience in their roles. Staff had extensive knowledge of different disorders people were living with and were skilled in working with people's needs.

People saw their GP and health specialists. People were supported to get involved with preparing healthy meals and looking after their health. Staff took the advice of nurses and consultants. The staff team completed assessments of need with health professionals and with the learning disability teams. People were happy with the arrangements for medicines support. Medicines were suitably managed with people having reviews of their medicines on a regular basis.

The staff team were aware of their responsibilities under the Mental Capacity Act 2005. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People told us the staff were caring. We observed kind and patient support being provided. Staff supported people in a respectful way. They made sure confidentiality, privacy and dignity were maintained.

Risk assessments and care plans provided detailed guidance for staff in the home. People in the service, their social workers and relatives, where appropriate, had influenced the content. The registered manager had ensured the plans reflected the person-centred care that was being delivered. People indicated that they enjoyed the activities and outings on offer. Staff could access specialists if people needed communication tools like Makaton or other sign languages. Staff worked with psychologists and psychiatrists when necessary.

The service had a registered manager who dealt with all aspects of the service. He was suitably skilled and experienced to manage the home. He consulted people and their representatives in a number of different ways.

The provider was in the process of analysing quality monitoring reports for all services to complete the new business plan, 'Transforming West House'. There was an action plan for Floshfield to ensure that quality care and services continued to be provided.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

At the last inspection the service was rated Good (published 12 January 2017).

Why we inspected:

This inspection was part of our scheduled plan of visiting services to check the safety and quality of care people received.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received, we may inspect sooner.