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Inspection on 12/06/09 for 1 St Alphege Road

Also see our care home review for 1 St Alphege Road for more information

This is the latest available inspection report for this service, carried out on 12th June 2009.

it is an annual review prepared by CQC after examining previous reports and information from the provider. At the time of this report, CQC judged the service to be Good.

The inspector made no statutory requirements on the home as a result of this inspection and there were no outstanding actions from the previous inspection report.

What follows are excerpts from this inspection report. For more information read the full report on the next tab.

Annual service review Name of Service: 1 St Alphege Road The quality rating for this care home is: The rating was made on: two star good service A quality rating is our assessment of how well a care home, agency or scheme is meeting the needs of the people who use it. We give a quality rating following a full review of the service. We call this review a ‘key’ inspection We do an annual service review when there has been no key inspection of the service in the last 12 months. It does not involve a visit to the service but is a summary of new information given to us, or collected by us, since the last key inspection or annual service review.   Has this annual service review changed our opinion of the service?   No You should read the last key inspection report for this service to get a full picture of how well outcomes for the people using the service are being met. The date by which we will do a key inspection: Name of inspector: Mark Hemmings Date of this annual service review: 1 2 0 6 2 0 0 9 Annual Service Review Page 1 of 7 Information about the service Address of service: 1 St Alphege Road Dover Kent CT16 2PU 01304225252 Telephone number: Fax number: Email address: Provider web address:   None United Response Name of registered provider(s): Name of registered manager (if applicable) Mr Steven Blake Conditions of registration: Category(ies) : mental disorder, excluding learning disability or dementia Number of places (if applicable): Under 65 Over 65 7 0 Have there been any changes in the ownership, management or the No service’s registration details in the last 12 months? If yes, what have they been: Date of last key inspection: Date of last annual service review (if applicable): Brief description of the service Up to seven people who have problems with their mental health can make their home in 1 St Alphege Road (the Service). The premises are a detached property. Each of the people who live in the Service has their own bedroom. All of the bedrooms have a private wash hand basin. One of them also has a private toilet and bath. There are two lounges and a dining area. Theres quite a large kitchen. At the back of the property theres a conservatory that leads out into a small enclosed garden. The Service is in a quiet residential street. Its quite close to Dover town centre. Theres public transport nearby. The Registered Provider is a charitable organisation. It operates a number of similar services in the area. The weekly fee for living in the Service runs from £800.17 to £1200.00. The actual amount charged depends on the type of support that someone needs. The weekly fee includes things such as the accommodation, meals in Annual Service Review Page 2 of 7 the Service and assistance from support workers. It doesnt include things like toiletries, going to the hairdresser and meals out. Annual Service Review Page 3 of 7 Service update since the last key inspection or annual service review: What did we do for this annual service review? We looked at all the information that weve received since the last Annual Service Review. This included: The Annual Quality Assurance Assessment (the Assessment) that was sent to us by the Registered Provider. The AQAA is a self-assessment that focuses on how well outcomes are being met for people using the Service. It also gives us some numerical information about the Service. Information that the Manager has recently told us about how things are going in the Service. What the Registered Provider has told us about things that have happened in the Service. These are called notifications and are a legal requirement. The previous Key Inspection and the last Annual Service Review. What has this told us about the service? The Registered Provider sent us its Assessment. Its been completed in a very thorough and thoughtful way. It gives us lots of information about the Service. The Assessment and what the Manager has told us, show that various improvements have been made since the last Key Inspection. These include things that make a direct difference to peoples everyday lives. For example, new work-surfaces and a new sink have been fitted in the kitchen. These should be more easy to keep clean. Also, in the kitchen a semi-commercial dishwasher has been installed. This has been done to help make sure that good standards of hygiene are maintained. Another thing has been the replacement of a conventional shower with a wet room. This has been done to make it easier for some of the people who live in the Service to have a shower if they want to. Other improvements are planned for the forthcoming year. These include installing Free View television in all of the bedrooms. The flooring in some of the bedrooms is going to replaced. Also, more attention is going to be given to maintaining the garden so that its a more pleasant place to sit and relax. At the time of the previous Key Inspection, we thought that things in general were going well for the people who use the Service. However, there were some improvements that we thought needed to be made. One of these things was the need to prepare a suitably detailed fire safety risk assessment that could be sent in to the Kent Fire and Rescue Service. This is important so that the fire brigade people have an up to date account of how well the fire safety system is running. The Manager says that this has since been done. Another thing involved the need to sort out shortfalls in the training arrangements. There were some gaps in the records and we werent sure if all of the support workers had completed the key courses the Registered Provider says that they need to do. The Manager says that he has since looked at the records. Hes Annual Service Review Page 4 of 7 confident that all of the support workers have the knowledge and skills they need to assist people in ways that are right for them. As part of this, hes arranged for all members of staff to have regular fire safety training. We asked for this to be done because its really important that everyone knows what to do if theres a fire safety emergency. We also asked for there to be a certificate that shows the electrical wiring installation remains in safe working order. Again, the Manager says that this is now in place. The last thing we asked for was that the Manager apply to us to be registered in his post. This is important because we needed to have the opportunity to discuss with him how he plans to ensure that the people who live in the Service reliably receive the support they need. We have now done this and as noted above we have made him the Registered Manager. This is a legal term that means he is accountable for making sure that the Service complies with the Regulations and with the National Minimum Standards. The Manager says that the people who live in the Service are regularly asked how they think things are going in their home. He says that they have told him that theyre happy to live there. Also, hes confident that theyre pleased with the help they receive and they think that they have good quality meals. People are supported to stay healthy and they are helped to seek medical attention as and when its needed. For example, one person has recently been supported to attend hospital for some dental treatment. Sensible arrangements are in place to assist people to take medicines in the manner intended by their doctors. These include the safe storage of medicines. Also, there are systems to ensure that medicines are given to the right person at the right time. The Assessment says that it is hoped that some people can be supported to handle their own medicines. The Manager says that this will only happen when someone wants to do so and when they can manage it safely and reliably. The Registered Provider has kept us informed about significant events that involve the people who live in the Service. There hasnt been that much. There has been a recent thing where two of the people who live in the Service didnt sort out a dispute between them in a very helpful way. The Manager correctly sought advice from social workers from Kent County Council. This is so that a way can be found to support both of the people concerned in ways that are right for them. During most times of the day there are two or three support workers on duty. Theres staff presence at night. Also, there are special security arrangements at night. Since our last inspection, the number of support workers on duty was increased for a period of time. This was done to enable someone who had been in hospital to be given extra help when they came home. The Manager says that suitable security checks continue to be done on new members of staff. This is to help make sure that they are trustworthy people. Sensible things are done to help keep people safe. The Assessment says that good standards of hygiene are achieved in the kitchen. The premises are fitted with an automatic fire detection system. This provides a high level of protection. The Manager says that the fire safety equipment and other things such as gas appliances are regularly checked. He says that they remain in good working order. Our overall judgement is that the Service continues to provide a good quality of care Annual Service Review Page 5 of 7 for the people who have made 1 St Alphege Road their home. What are we going to do as a result of this annual service review? Were not going to change our inspection plan and we are going to complete a Key Inspection by 26 June 2010. However, we can inspect the Service at any time, if we have concerns about the quality of the Service or about the safety of the people using the Service. Annual Service Review Page 6 of 7 Reader Information Document Purpose: Author: Audience: Further copies from: Annual service review CQC General Public 0870 240 7535 (national contact centre) Our duty to regulate social care services is set out in the Care Standards Act 2000. The content of which can be found on our website. Helpline: Telephone: 03000 616161 Email: enquiries@cqc.org.uk Web: www.cqc.org.uk We want people to be able to access this information. If you would like a copy of the findings in a different format or language please contact our helpline or go to our website. Copyright © (2009) Care Quality Commission (CQC). 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