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Inspection on 03/03/09 for Beulah Road (55)

Also see our care home review for Beulah Road (55) for more information

This inspection was carried out on 3rd March 2009.

CSCI has not published a star rating for this report, though using similar criteria we estimate that the report is (sorry - unknown). The way we rate inspection reports is consistent for all houses, though please be aware that this may be different from an official CSCI judgement.

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.

Inspecting for better lives Random inspection report Care homes for adults (18-65 years) Name: Address: Beulah Road (55) 55 Beulah Road Thornton Heath Croydon Surrey CR7 8JH new service which has yet to be given a quality rating The quality rating for this care home is: The rating was made on: 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 assessment of the service. We call this a ‘key’ inspection. This is a report of a random inspection of this care home. A random inspection is a short, focussed inspection. Details of how to get other inspection reports for this care home, including the last key inspection report, can be found on the last page of this report. Lead inspector: Lee Willis Date: 0 3 0 3 2 0 0 9 Information about the care home Name of care home: Address: Beulah Road (55) 55 Beulah Road Thornton Heath Croydon Surrey CR7 8JH 02086536377 T/F02086536377 Telephone number: Fax number: Email address: Provider web address: Name of registered provider(s): Type of registration: Number of places registered: Conditions of registration: Category(ies) : Care Management Group Ltd (trading as CMG Homes Ltd) care home 7 Number of places (if applicable): Under 65 Over 65 0 learning disability Conditions of registration: 7 The maximum number of service users who can be accommodated is: 7 The Registered Person may provide the following category of service only: Care home only - Code PC to service users of the following gender: Either whose primary care needs on admission to the home are within the following categories: Learning Disability - Code LD Date of last inspection Brief description of the care home 55 Beulah Road is owned by CMG a specialist provider of care for adults with learning disabilities and challenging behaviour. The service provides accommodation and personal support for up to seven generally younger males. Pat McGarry was appointed the services new manager in May 2008 and has been in operational day-today control since. Care Homes for Adults (18-65 years) Page 2 of 10 Brief description of the care home Located on a suburban street close to the centre of Thornton Heath the home is within easy walking distance of a wide variety of local shops, cafes, pubs, and banks. The home is also very close to numerous bus stops and a local mainline train station with excellent links to central Croydon and the surrounding areas. The main house comprises of six single occupancy bedrooms, a newly decorated and furnished open plan lounge/ dinning area, a suitably adapted and well equipped sensory room, a refitted kitchen, a seperate office, and laundry room. There is also a one bedroom selfcontained flat situated at the rear of the property that has its own cooking and en-suite bathroom facilities. The garden at the rear of the property is well maintained and includes a relatively new decking area. Care Homes for Adults (18-65 years) Page 3 of 10 What we found: As part of the inspection process we spent two and a half hours at Beulah Road. During this time we met all five of the people who currently live there, the relatively new manager and her deputy ,and three support workers. We also looked at various records and documents, including the care plan and accompanying risk assessments for one person who lives at Beulah Road. The remainder of the site visit was spent touring the premises and grounds. From all the available evidence we have gathered since this service was last inspected it is clear that Beulah Road has significantly improved in the past nine months and now has more strengths than areas of weakness. All the written and verbal feedback we received from the people who use the service, their care managers, and support workers was extremely complimentary about the way 55 Beulah is now being run. The appointment of a very experienced and competent manager in May 2008 has been the single most important factor in turning this adequately performing service around and moving it in the right direction. All six of the outstanding requirements and six good practise recommendations made at the services last Key inspection have been recognised by the new management team and met. The deputy manager produced evidence to show us that as required in the last three reports its Statement of Purpose and Guide have been reviewed and up dated to accurately reflect all the changes that have happened there in the past nine months. The deputy manager demonstrated a good understanding of best practise regarding admissions procedures and was able to produce documentary evidence on request to show us she had visited the services most recent referral in their own home, and had obtained a needs assessment carried out by the individuals care manager. The deputy told us she was in the process of arranging for this individual to visit the 55 Beulah Road and meet the other service users and staff, and view the home. The deputy was fully aware that a number of placements had broken down in the past year and told us she was determined to minimise this reoccuring by ensuring any new referrals the home accpeted would be compatible with the others already living there. The manager confirmed that as required in the homes last report she had recently attended the providers own admissions and compatibility training. The one care plan looked at in depth was person centred, easy to read, and had been kept up to date by staff. The plan contained a comprehensive set of risk assessments that set out in detail what action staff should take to minimise any identified risks. Several had been up dated recently in response to a number of significant incident involving this individual. A support worker met demonstrated a good understanding of what action should be taken to deescalate these potentially hazardous siutations and throughout the course of this site visit both the managers were observed folowing these guidelines in a very consistent and professional manner. Both the managers and staff met told us the number of significant incidents involving the people who use the service had declined in the past six months. As required in the Care Homes for Adults (18-65 years) Page 4 of 10 last report the new management team are now much better at keeping us informed about the occurrence of significent incidents without delay. There have been three allegations of abuse made about the service since May 2008. These were all promptly reported to the appropriate authorities, including Croydons safeguarding team, the relevant care managers, and the CSCI. All three were investigated, and none upheld. A support worker met demonstrated a good understanding of what constituted abuse and who they should report it too if they suspected or witnessed it. The manager also assured us that as required in the homes last report the vast majority of her current staff team had received refresher training in recognising, preventing and reporting abuse in 2008. A person who lives at Beulah Road told us staff encouraged him to do their own cooking, buy their own food, keep their flat tidy, and go out on their own whenever they liked. A support worker met told us programmes to help all those service users who were capable of developing their independent living skills was an area of practise the new managers had been particualrt keen to promote since arriving in May 2008. It was positively noted that an individual who had never travelled independently before was now able to go to and from their day centre by public transport. Furthermore, as recommended in the homes last report all those service users assessed as willing and capable of looking after their own medication were now being actively encouraged and supported by staff to do so. A lockable cabinet for storing medication had been installed in one service users bedroom, and the manager told us arrangements were in place for staff to discretely monitor these arrnagments. Progress to achieve this aim will be assessed in greater depth at the services next inspection. On arrival all the people who use the service were at home, but as the morning progressed most people went out to various day centres, the local shops, or a cafe for lunch. A support worker and the deputy manager told us opportunities for the people who use the service to get more involved in stimulating activities in the wider community was an area of pratice the home had improved its perfromace in recently. Two thirds of our surveys returned to us by the people who use the service had ticked the always box in response to the question - can you make decisions about what you do every day, the evenings and at weekend. A weekly plan of all the activities the people who use the service have decided to engage in each day was conspicuously displayed on the office wall. The board was illustrated with all manner of pictures and photographs to make it easier for the people who use the service to read and understand. Since the last inspection the services old smoking room has been converted into a new sensory room. The room has been suitably decorated and kitted out with all manner of sensory equipment. A support worker told us the room is proving very popular with those service users with more complex communication needs. During a tour of the premises we noted a new wide screen television and music centre in the main lounge. During a tour of the premises it was noted the new manager had initiated a programme to redecorate and refurbish 55 Beulah Road as promised at the last inspection. The new layout of the lounge, and the introduction of various ornaments, two new sofas and a dining table made this communal area look and feel a lot more homely and inviting. The kitchen had also been totally refitted with new storagae units and equipment, the two vacant bedrooms refurnished, and new carpet fitted in the hallway. The vast majority of the home had also been redecorated in the past six monhts. A person who uses the service told us they liked what had been done to the Care Homes for Adults (18-65 years) Page 5 of 10 place, and especially liked the new wide screen television in the lounge. The service also has a new computer, which the manager told us had improved staffs ability to communicate effectively within the organsitonand with outside agencies, such as placing authorities and the CSCI. The computer is also used by staff for E-learning training. As required in the homes last report the manager has reassessed her staff teams strengths and needs, and developed a training programme to address identified gaps in their knowledge and skills. The manager told us all the training shortfalls identified in the homes last report have been addressed. The vast majority of her staff team have now attended basic food hygiene, person centred care planning, understnding epilepsy, and National Autistic Society NAS approved training in relation to supporting people with autistic spectrum disorder. Staff recruitment, training, and supervision will be looked at in greater depth at the services next key inspection. We arrived the home at 9.20 in the morning and noted three support workers were on duty. A support worker and the manager confirmed there were always at least three members of staff during the day. The vast majority of the written and verbal feedback received about staffing levels indicated that there was always enough staff on duty to meet the social and personal care needs and wishes of the people who use the service. All the staff met during the visit were observed interacting in a very kind and professional manner with all the people who use the service. Two people who use the service who were both spoken with at length about staff told us they liked their keyworkers, the manager, and the deputy. 100 per cent of our surveys completed by the people who use the service stated staff always treated them well and listened and acted upon what they said. The manager told following the departure of a number of long serving members of staff in the past nine months there is more of a can do attitude amongst the staff team who are more willing to embrace new ideas and learn from past mistakes. What the care home does well: As previously mentioned in this report all the feedback we received about the service, which included thirteen of our satisfaction surveys that all the people who use the service most with some with assistance from their key workers, two care managers who represented them, and approximately half the people who currently work at the home were very positive. Typical comments included, love the new sensory room, the attitude of staff has much improved, especially with the departure of so many long standing members, the service now tries to prevent problems before they start, instead of just reacting to them as they did previously, staff want to be trained, and then put what they learnt into practise, I cant fault the enthusiasm of the new managers wove both breathed new live into the home, and the new manager is great Beulahs a good place to work again. The atmosphere in the home during the course of the inspection felt so much more relaxed and pleasant that at previous visits in recent years. We agree with many of the comments made by the people who use the service, their care managers and staff worker at Beulah Road that the appointment of a new management team has been the catalyst for much needed change at the home, which has led to improvements in promoting greater independence for the people who use the service the interior design and of decor of the premises, and staffs attitude, knowledge and skills. Care Homes for Adults (18-65 years) Page 6 of 10 What they could do better: If you want to know what action the person responsible for this care home is taking following this report, you can contact them using the details set out on page 2. Care Homes for Adults (18-65 years) Page 7 of 10 Are there any outstanding requirements from the last inspection? Yes £ No R Outstanding statutory requirements These are requirements that were set at the previous inspection, but have still not been met. They say what the registered person had to do to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, Regulations 2001 and the National Minimum Standards. No. Standard Regulation Requirement Timescale for action Care Homes for Adults (18-65 years) Page 8 of 10 Requirements and recommendations from this inspection: Immediate requirements: These are immediate requirements that were set on the day we visited this care home. The registered person had to meet these within 48 hours. No. Standard Regulation Requirement Timescale for action Statutory requirements These requirements set out what the registered person must do to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, Regulations 2001 and the National Minimum Standards. The registered person(s) must do this within the timescales we have set. No. Standard Regulation Requirement Timescale for action Recommendations These recommendations are taken from the best practice described in the National Minimum Standards and the registered person(s) should consider them as a way of improving their service. No Refer to Standard Good Practice Recommendations Care Homes for Adults (18-65 years) Page 9 of 10 Reader Information Document Purpose: Author: Audience: Further copies from: Inspection Report CSCI General Public 0870 240 7535 (telephone order line) Our duty to regulate social care services is set out in the Care Standards Act 2000. Copies of the National Minimum Standards –Care Homes for Adults (18-65 years) can be found at www.dh.gov.uk or got from The Stationery Office (TSO) PO Box 29, St Crispins, Duke Street, Norwich, NR3 1GN. Tel: 0870 600 5522. Online ordering from the Stationery Office is also available: www.tso.co.uk/bookshop Helpline: Telephone: 0845 015 0120 or 0191 233 3323 Textphone: 0845 015 2255 or 0191 233 3588 Email: enquiries@csci.gsi.gov.uk Web: www.csci.org.uk We want people to be able to access this information. If you would like a summary in a different format or language please contact our helpline or go to our website. Copyright © (2009) Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI). This publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, free of charge, in any format or medium provided that it is not used for commercial gain. This consent is subject to the material being reproduced accurately and on proviso that it is not used in a derogatory manner or misleading context. The material should be acknowledged as CSCI copyright, with the title and date of publication of the document specified. 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