15 November 2016
During a routine inspection
The service was last inspected on 29 January and 3 February 2014. At the previous inspection there were no breaches of regulation.
There were two registered managers in post at 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 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.
At the time of the inspection, the provider was supporting 42 people living in different supported living locations. There had been some re-structuring of HF Trust in 2016 and some other services were closing. Many people had recently moved to HF Trust Stroud DCA from larger care homes. There were three registered managers for the provider. They each managed a number of locations between them, with each being responsible for approximately three locations. The registered managers would cover each other’s locations in the event of any absence.
The service was safe. Risk assessments were implemented and reflected the current level of risk to people. There were sufficient staffing levels to ensure safe care and treatment. There were some minor errors with medicine recordings.
People were receiving effective care and support. Staff received training which was relevant to their role. Staff received regular supervisions and appraisals. The service was adhering to the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and where required the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS).
Staff told us there was an open culture and the environment was an enjoyable place to work. Staff were extremely passionate about their job roles and felt integral to the process of providing effective care to people.
The service was caring. We observed staff supporting people in a caring and patient way. Staff knew the people they supported well and were able to describe what they like to do and how they like to be supported. People were supported sensitively with an emphasis on promoting their rights to privacy, dignity, choice and independence. People were supported to undertake meaningful activities, which reflected their interests.
The service was responsive to people’s needs. Care plans were person centred to provide consistent, high quality care and support. People using the service and their relatives were able to raise concerns and were listened to.
The service was well led. Quality assurance checks and audits were occurring regularly and identified actions to improve the service. Staff, relatives and other professionals spoke positively about the registered managers.