During our visit we met privately with three of the people staying at The Havens and held a meeting with a further six people staying there. We also spoke with five members of staff. People using the service were positive about the service they had received. Their comments included, 'Brilliant,' and 'They gave me a life.'People told us that prior to moving in and throughout their stay staff had worked in partnership with them ensuring that they agreed to their treatment plan and understood the programme they were following. One person told us, 'They sat me down and explained.' People also said that they had received the support they had needed with their care and welfare, with one person commenting 'They take care of everything.' Care records confirmed that people had been consulted at every stage of their treatment and that staff had provided appropriate support.
People told us that they had confidence in the staff team. Records and discussion with staff evidenced that they had received support and training to enable them to carry out their role effectively.
We found that recruitment checks for staff were not as robust as they should be. Not all staff had appropriate checks carried out and recorded prior to commencing work. These checks would help to ensure that staff are suitable to work with people who may be vulnerable.
Systems were in place at The Havens to obtain the views of people using the service and to monitor the quality of the service provided.