During this inspection we set out to answer our five key questions; Is the service caring,responsive, safe, effective and well led?
Below is a summary of our findings.
Is the service safe?
By safe, we mean that people are protected from abuse and avoidable harm. We observed that staff had the skills, and experience necessary, and were able to demonstrate they knew how to support people safely and minimise risk.
We found that care records were not always current and this may have put people at risk. We saw from the records we reviewed that all of the staff had received training in the protection of vulnerable adults. We spoke with staff who demonstrated their awareness of different types of abuse, and explained the process they followed if they needed to raise any concerns.
Is the service effective?
By effective, we mean that people's care, treatment and support achieved good outcomes
and promoted a good quality of life which is evidence-based where possible.
We reviewed the care records for the three people who used the service at Tanners Wood. We found that they contained basic information which was in some cases dated and no longer relevant. This lack of current and person centred information meant that people's needs may not have been met in accordance with their current requirements.
We observed however, that staff supported people, where possible in an 'enabling way', to empower people to retain as much independence as possible. Evidence of consent was not always apparent, in relation to the care and support people received.
Is the service caring?
By caring, we mean that staff involved and treated people with compassion, kindness,
dignity and respect. We observed that people were supported by staff who knew them well and were able to care for them as individuals. We saw that the staff were patient and kind with people who used the service.
Is the service responsive?
By responsive, we mean that services are organised so that they meet people's needs. We
observed the staff to be responsive when interacting with people.
Staff were aware of people's needs and they responded appropriately when people required help.
Is the service well-led?
By well-led we mean that the leadership, management and governance of the organisation
assured the delivery of high-quality person-centred care, which supports learning and
innovation, and promotes an open and fair culture.
The previous registered manager had left the service and the current manager was in the process of being registered with the Care Quality Commission. The previous manager's name is still recorded on this report because it had not been deregistered at the time of the inspection.
We found that improvements were required in some areas and noted the manager was very receptive to feedback as part of the inspection process. The manager was in the process of reviewing a number of aspects of the service, including support plans and other care documents and these were a work in progress so we could not assess the impact of this work, during this inspection.
You can see our judgements on the front page of this report.