Hurst Green Road

Updated 16 January 2018

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

The inspection visit took place on 19 July 2017 and was carried out by one inspector. 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 discuss how they may respond to our presence at the home.

We observed the care and support provided to people who lived at Hurst Green Road. Most people had limited verbal communication and were unable to tell us in any detail about the service they received. We spent time talking with staff and observing how they interacted with people. We also spoke with relatives to get their views on the care given to their family members.

We spoke with the registered manager, and three members of support staff. Following our inspection we spoke to one relative by telephone. We looked at the records of three people who used the service and two staff records. We also reviewed quality monitoring records.

Prior to our inspection visit, we reviewed the information we held about the service. We looked at the information received including the statutory notifications the provider had sent us. A statutory notification is information about important events which the provider is required to send to us by law. We also reviewed the information in the provider's information return (PIR). This is a form we asked the provider to complete before we visited. The PIR asked the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they planned to make. The information contained within the PIR reflected what we saw during our visit.

Updated 16 January 2018

Hurst Green Road is registered to provide personal care for up to four people with a diagnosis of a learning disability or autistic spectrum disorder. At the time of our visit there were three people living at Hurst Green Road.

At the last inspection on 11 June 2015 Hurst Green Road was rated Good. At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

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 person and a relative told us they felt people were safe at Hurst Green Road. 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 Hurst Green Road 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 to maintain their health and well-being and received support with a varied diet that took account of their preferences and dietary needs.

Staff were kind and supportive and ensured people's privacy and dignity needs were met.

The management and staff team understood the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). 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. People who lived at Hurst Green Road were encouraged to maintain links with friends and family.

Relatives knew how to make a formal complaint and told us they felt comfortable raising any concerns they had with the staff. At the time of our inspection no complaints had been received, however, the provider had systems in place to monitor complaints across all of their services. This was so they could identify any areas where improvements could be made to benefit all people including those at Hurst Green Road.

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 during one to one supervision and team meetings.

A programme of training and induction provided staff with the skills and knowledge they needed to meet people's needs.

The provider carried out audits to check the support and care people received to continually monitor and improve the quality of the service.