This inspection took place on 5 April 2016 and was announced. This was the first inspection under the services current registration.Croft Community is a supported living service registered to provide personal care to adults with a learning disability or autistic spectrum disorder who may also be living with dementia, mental ill health, sensory impairment or a physical disability. Dementia is an umbrella term used to describe the range of conditions that cause changes in memory and other cognitive abilities that are severe enough to interfere with daily life. The service does not offer nursing care.
Croft Community is based in the market town of Malton. Homes are provided within a community which consists of nine houses in different areas of Malton. Some are supported by staff twenty four hours a day and others are single flats close to the larger houses encouraging the development of people’s independence. Some properties are situated on the main site which is open to everyone who lives within the Croft Community. At the main site there are also communal facilities and workshops where people spend all or part of their days working or socialising. The community run a café in Malton where they sell goods made by people who use the service.
There were 30 people receiving personal care and support on the day we inspected. There was a registered manager employed at this service who had been registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in September 2013. 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.
Staff were recruited safely and appropriate recruitment checks were carried out before they started work at the service. There was sufficient staff on duty to meet the needs of the people who used the service. The staff received an in depth induction and on-going training throughout their employment at the service. They were supported by more senior staff through supervision and an annual review.
Staff could recognise different types of abuse and knew how to alert someone if they witnessed anyone being harmed. They had received training in this subject and the organisation had policies and procedures in place to support them.
Risk assessments were in place for people’s health and welfare needs as well as detailed management plans where appropriate. In addition there were risk assessments highlighting any environmental risks to people.
The houses were safe, clean and well maintained. Any equipment was serviced according to guidance. Where people had been involved in accidents or incidents these had been recorded and reviewed monthly.
Medicines were managed safely within the houses. Some people kept their own medicines and others were administered by staff. Where appropriate people had risk assessments relating to their medicines management in place. These were taken with them if they visited family or transferred between services along with their hospital passport.
The service worked within the principles of the Mental Capacity Act where appropriate. People had choices about how they lived their lives.
People planned their menus, went shopping and cooked together in the houses. Where additional healthcare support was needed around eating and drinking this was sought through the persons GP.
The service was accessible and able to meet the needs of people with a physical disability. There was ramped access to each of the houses. Inside the corridors and doors were wide enough to accommodate wheelchairs. people had en suite wet rooms with grab rails and adapted toilets. The houses were secure with door entry systems to ensure unauthorised people did not enter the properties.
Staff were friendly and kind towards people. We observed many positive interactions. The service was enabling, supporting people to be independent through work, education and social interaction. People spoke positively of the care provided and told us they were treated with dignity and respect.
There were good community links through the café run in the town, conservation work and links with a local older people's service. There was clear partnership working with education and the learning disability service as well as internal links with other Camphill services.
There was an effective quality assurance system in place which encompassed key lines of enquiry used by CQC. This enabled the registered manager to identify issues and measure the delivery of care.