This inspection took place on 4 February 2016. The inspection was announced 48 hours before we visited to establish if people living at the service would be available to talk with us and to discuss if our presence may cause anxiety to people.Arden Croft is registered to provide accommodation and personal care within a residential setting to a maximum of four people. There were four people using the service at the time of our inspection. This included people with a learning disability and autism.
The service consists of one house. Four people lived in the house where the registered manager’s office was also situated.
A requirement of the provider’s registration is that they 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. At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager at the service.
A new manager had recently been employed at Arden Croft and was working alongside the registered manager. They were in the process of registering with us and would then be responsible for the running of the home.
Relatives told us they felt people were safe at Arden Croft. The registered manager and staff understood how to protect people they supported from abuse, and knew what procedures to follow to report any concerns. Staff had a good understanding of risks associated with people’s care needs and how to support them.
There were enough staff at Arden Croft to support people safely and at the times they preferred. Recruitment procedures made sure staff were of a suitable character to care for people at the home.
Medicines were stored and administered safely, and people received their medicines as prescribed. Regular audits were carried out of medicines to ensure they were managed in line with good practice guidelines. People were supported to attend health care appointments when they needed to maintain their health and wellbeing.
Staff were kind and supportive to people’s needs and people’s privacy and dignity was respected. People were encouraged to be independent in assisting with tasks around the home and shopping.
The management and staff teams understood the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS), and supported people in line with these principles. People were supported to make everyday decisions themselves, which helped them to maintain their independence. Where people were not able to make decisions, relatives and healthcare professionals were consulted for their advice and input.
People were supported to pursue their hobbies and interests both within and outside the home. Activities were arranged according to people’s individual preferences, needs and abilities and staff were keen to explore a variety of new activities for people. People who lived at Arden Croft were encouraged to maintain links with friends and family who visited them at the home.
A team leader supported the new manager in the running of the home and assisted with supporting staff and conducting quality monitoring audits.
Relatives knew how to make a formal complaint and were able to discuss any concerns they had with staff. At the time of our inspection no complaints had been received. However the provider, monitored complaints from their other services to identify any areas where improvements could be made to the provision of care at Arden Croft.
Staff felt the management team were supportive and promoted an open culture within the home. Staff were able to discuss their own development and best practice in supervision and during regular team meetings. A programme of training and induction provided staff with the skills and knowledge to meet people’s needs.
The registered manager and new manager felt well supported by the provider who visited regularly and their views and ideas were encouraged on how to improve the service.
The provider carried out audits to check the quality of care people received however they acknowledged these had not been carried out consistently over the last year and improvements were being made to address this. Audits by the registered manager and team leader were conducted regularly to continually monitor and improve the quality of the service.