Archived: Danbury

Updated 5 May 2016

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.

This unannounced inspection took place on 31 March 2016 and was carried out by an inspector.

We reviewed information we had received about the service such as notifications. This is information about important events which the provider is required to send us by law. We also looked at information sent to us from other stakeholders, for example the local authority and members of the public.

People had complex needs, which meant they could not always readily tell us about their experiences and communicated with us in different ways, such as facial expressions and gestures. We observed the way people interacted with staff and how they responded to their environment and staff who were supporting them. We spoke with two people who used the service and one person’s relative.

We spoke with the registered manager who is also the nominated individual for the provider, the provider’s regional manager and three support workers. We reviewed feedback received from three health and social care professionals.

To help us assess how people’s care needs were being met we reviewed two people’s care records and other information, for example their risk assessments and medicines records.

We looked at three staff personnel files and records relating to the management of the service. This included recruitment, training, and systems for assessing and monitoring the quality of the service.

Updated 5 May 2016

Danbury provides care and support for up to four people who may have a learning disability and/or mental health needs. There were three people living in the service when we inspected on 31 March 2016.

There was a registered manager in post. 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 received care that was personalised to them and met their needs and wishes. Staff listened to people and acted on what they said. The atmosphere in the service was friendly and welcoming.

Procedures were in place which safeguarded the people who used the service from the potential risk of abuse. Staff understood the various types of abuse and knew who to report any concerns to.

Staff knew how to minimise risks and provide people with safe care. Procedures and processes guided staff on how to ensure the safety of the people who used the service. These included checks on the environment and risk assessments which identified how risks to people were minimised.

Recruitment checks on staff were carried out with sufficient numbers employed who had the knowledge and skills to meet people’s needs. People were treated with kindness by the staff. Staff respected people’s privacy and dignity and interacted with people in a caring and compassionate manner.

Appropriate arrangements were in place to ensure people’s medicines were obtained, stored and administered safely. People were encouraged to attend appointments with other health care professionals to maintain their health and well-being.

Care and support was based on the assessed needs of each person. People’s care records contained information about how they communicated and their ability to make decisions. People were encouraged to pursue their hobbies and interests and to maintain links within the community.

People or their representatives were supported to make decisions about how they led their lives and wanted to be supported. Where they lacked capacity, appropriate actions had been taken to ensure decisions were made in the person’s best interests. The service was up to date regarding the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS).

People’s nutritional needs were being assessed and they were supported to eat and drink sufficiently. People were encouraged to be as independent as possible but where additional support was needed this was provided in a caring, respectful manner.

There was an open and transparent culture in the service. Staff were aware of the values of the service and understood their roles and responsibilities. Audits and quality assurance surveys were used to identify shortfalls and drive improvement in the service.