This unannounced comprehensive inspection took place on 15 and 19 April 2016. Stables Flat is a care home registered to accommodate a maximum of eight people with learning disabilities. At the time of the inspection eight people were living at the home.
There was a registered manager employed at the home. 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.
The feedback we received from people and their relatives was that Stables Flat was a, “Really good” place to live. People told us they, “Enjoyed” living there and all the relatives we spoke with gave positive views about the home and the care and support their relative was given.
People told us they felt safe and well supported at the home. Staff had been trained in safeguarding adults and were aware of the types of abuse and how to identify, prevent and report abuse. There was an effective system of training in place for staff.
Plans were in place on how to support people in the event of an emergency.
Staff were friendly, kind and caring and gave individual, person centred care to everyone living at Stables Flat. There were robust recruitment practises in place to make sure that appropriate staff were employed to support people.
People’s needs were assessed and areas of risk were assessed and reviewed to ensure peoples’ safety. Support was offered in accordance with people’s wishes and their privacy was protected. Staff knew people well and understood their physical and personal care needs and treated them with dignity and respect.
Staff and people told us they felt the staffing levels were appropriate to meet people’s needs. Staffing levels were planned and adjusted to make sure people were given individualised care.
People’s medicines were securely stored and managed and people were supported to take their prescribed medicines in a timely way.
Staff were knowledgeable about the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and its principles and had a thorough understanding around how people living at Stables flat wanted their care and support to be given.
People were provided with a choice of healthy food and drink ensuring their nutritional needs were met. Systems were in place to support people with budgeting, shopping and cooking. People’s health needs were monitored which included appropriate referrals to health professionals when required.
People were supported to take part in a wide range of activities, hobbies and work placements to maintain their independence and promote a healthy lifestyle. People could choose where they spent their time.
People told us they were happy to raise any issues or concerns with the manager and felt confident they would be listened to. Complaint forms were available in the home in an easy read format for people to use if they wanted to express a concern.
The service was well led with a clear management structure and an open, friendly culture. There were systems in place to promote a continuous drive for improvement.
The provider was developing a quality assurance system to monitor and improve the quality of the service provided.