Priory House provides accommodation and support for up to three people who have a learning disability. The service is located in a residential area and within walking distance to a small town which staff supported people to access. At the time of the inspection there were three people living at the service.The inspection took place on 12 December 2016 and was unannounced. Prior to this the service was last inspected on 9 January 2014 and was found to be compliant in all areas.
The service had a registered manager in post. However, they were also the service manager for the organisation; therefore the deputy manager took responsibility for the day to day management of the service. 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.
People were supported by staff who knew how to recognise the signs of abuse and who were confident about how and whom to report any concerns to.
Potential risks to people’s daily lives had been assessed and staff had taken action to manage and minimise these risks. The service had a process in place for recording, monitoring and analysing accidents and incidents and action had been taken to mitigate the risk of reoccurrence. In addition to this the environment was regularly monitored to ensure that people were kept safe from harm.
Staff supported people to take their medicines safely and staff competencies relating to the administration of medicines were regularly checked.
There were sufficient staff available to effectively care for people and keep them safe from harm. Staff supported people to access the wider community and pursue areas of personal interest outside of the home.
The service had a robust recruitment process in place to ensure that staff had the necessary skills and attributes to support people using the service. New members of staff were introduced to the service through a thorough induction programme and were required to complete a probation period to ensure that they had acquired the necessary skills to care for people.
Staff demonstrated that they had the skills and knowledge to meet the needs of people living in the service. The provider supported staff to continue to develop their knowledge through regular training sessions and as the needs of people living in the service changed staff were supported to access training which was appropriate to meet their new needs.
People were supported in line with the legislation of the Mental Capacity Act and no unnecessarily restrictive practices were in place. There were effective systems in place to ensure that people’s medication, money and personal information were kept safe.
Staff supported people to maintain a healthy diet and to access drinks throughout the day. Mealtimes were sociable occasions and were flexible in order to accommodate people’s routines, preferences and commitments. People were encouraged to be as independent as possible and were supported to make choices about what they ate and to prepare and cook their meals.
Staff worked alongside health and social care professionals to meet people's needs and sought specialist advice and support when the need arose.
Staff were kind and respectful when providing care. People sat and chatted and joked with staff members and clearly felt relaxed and comfortable in their presence. Staff demonstrated that they knew people well and delivered care in accordance with their preferences and wishes. Staff were skilled at caring for people who had complex behavioural needs and were consistent in their approach.
People were empowered to express their views and opinions through daily planning meetings, weekly meetings with their support worker and formal resident meetings. Staff used a variety of means to facilitate discussion at these meetings and people were supported to access easy read material on numerous subjects including medication and consent.
Staff went above and beyond to support people to maintain meaningful relationships and to regularly communicate with their extended family.
People received person centred care and support from staff who knew them well. Both inside and outside the service people were supported to participate in activities that they chose and which were fulfilling and meaningful to them. People and their relatives knew how to raise concerns or make a complaint and were confident that prompt and appropriate action would be taken if the need arose.
The deputy manager was visible and supportive and staff had confidence in their ability to effectively and promptly deal with issues raised. The management team were aware of their responsibility to send notifications as required, so that we could be made aware of how any incidents had been responded to. There were systems in place to monitor the quality of service delivered and drive improvement.