Inspection on 16/03/09 for Popis Gardens (1 & 2)

This inspection was carried out on 16th March 2009.

CSCI found this care home to be providing an Good service.

The inspector found no outstanding requirements from the previous inspection report, but made 1 statutory requirements (actions the home must comply with) as a result of this inspection.

Other inspections for this house

Popis Gardens (1 & 2) 26/03/07

Popis Gardens (1 & 2) 29/11/05

Popis Gardens (1 & 2) 10/05/05

Popis Gardens (1 & 2) 27/11/04

Popis Gardens (1 & 2) 21/06/04

Popis Gardens (1 & 2) 15/01/04

Similar services:

Coopers Mill Ltd

Bramley Avenue (73)

Paradise Lodge

Grangewood

Upaya Ananda

Newton Court (1-2)

Kings Lane (32)

Pemdale

Extracts from inspection reports are licensed from CQC, this page was updated on 15/11/2009.

Inspecting for better lives Key inspection report Care homes for adults (18-65 years) Name: Address: Popis Gardens (1 & 2) King George Road Ware Hertfordshire SG12 7DU The quality rating for this care home is: 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 assessment of the service. We call this a ‘key’ inspection. Lead inspector: Patricia House Date: 1 6 0 3 2 0 0 9 This is a report of an inspection where we looked at how well this care home is meeting the needs of people who use it. There is a summary of what we think this service does well, what they have improved on and, where it applies, what they need to do better. We use the national minimum standards to describe the outcomes that people should experience. National minimum standards are written by the Department of Health for each type of care service. After the summary there is more detail about our findings. The following table explains what you will see under each outcome area Outcome area (for example: Choice of home) These are the outcomes that people staying in care homes should experience. They reflect the things that people have said are important to them: This box tells you the outcomes that we will always inspect against when we do a key inspection. This box tells you any additional outcomes that we may inspect against when we do a key inspection. This is what people staying in this care home experience: Judgement: This box tells you our opinion of what we have looked at in this outcome area. We will say whether it is excellent, good, adequate or poor. Evidence: This box describes the information we used to come to our judgement Copies of the National Minimum Standards – Care Homes for Adults (18-65 years) can be found at www.dh.gov.uk or bought 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 The Commission for Social Care Inspection aims to:  Put the people who use social care first  Improve services and stamp out bad practice  Be an expert voice on social care  Practise what we preach in our own organisation Our duty to regulate social care services is set out in the Care Standards Act 2000. Reader Information Document Purpose Author Inspection report CSCI Page 2 of 28 Care Homes for Adults (18-65 years) Audience Further copies from Copyright General public 0870 240 7535 (telephone order line) 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. www.cqc.org.uk Internet address Care Homes for Adults (18-65 years) Page 3 of 28 Information about the care home Name of care home: Address: Popis Gardens (1 & 2) King George Road Ware Hertfordshire SG12 7DU 01920485030 01920462732 popis@grantahousing.org.uk 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) : Granta Housing Society Limited care home 10 Number of places (if applicable): Under 65 Over 65 10 10 10 10 learning disability physical disability Additional conditions: Date of last inspection A bit about the care home 1 & 2 Popis Gardens is a care home providing personal care and accommodation for ten people with a learning disability, who may also be aged over 65 and have a physical disability. It is owned by Granta Housing Society, which is a voluntary organisation, and it was opened in 1993. The home is situated in a residential Care Homes for Adults (18-65 years) Page 4 of 28 area of Ware, within easy reach of the shops, pubs and other community facilities of the town centre. It consists of two purpose-built bungalows, situated in their own cul-de-sac. Each bungalow has five single bedrooms, none of which have en-suite facilities. Both the bungalows are fully accessible for wheelchairs, and both have accessible gardens. The homes Statement of Purpose, Service Users Guide and the last CQC inspection report are displayed in the home and copies are available on request. Fees for the home start at £1121. 21 pounds per week and are charged according to need. Care Homes for Adults (18-65 years) Page 5 of 28 Summary This is an overview of what we found during the inspection. The quality rating for this care home is: Our judgement for each outcome: two star good service Choice of home Individual needs and choices Lifestyle Personal and healthcare support Concerns, complaints and protection Environment Staffing Conduct and management of the home Care Homes for Adults (18-65 years) Page 6 of 28 How we did our inspection: This is what the inspector did when they were at the care home The last key inspection of this service was completed on 26th March 2007. The information in this report is based on an unannounced inspection of the home, which took place over one day with one regulation inspector carrying out the work of the Commission. For the purposes of this report the Commission will be referred to as we. The registered manager was on duty throughout the day and we spoke with staff and residents. We visited all parts of the home and checked a variety of records. Since the last key inspection the manager had completed and returned to the Commission an annual self-assessment quality review, the Annual Quality Assurance Assessment, (the AQAA).This document included statistical information about the home and confirmation of policy reviews and equipment checks. Since the inspection completed quality surveys have been returned to the Commission. We received seven from residents and six from staff. Comments from these surveys have been included in the report. We have also reviewed any other Care Homes for Adults (18-65 years) Page 7 of 28 information we have received about this service What the care home does well People we spoke with during the visit all said they thought the home was well run and that peoples views about the service were listened to by the manager and acted on. Residents are supported to make choices about their daily lives and how they are supported in the home. A wide range of activities are provided to ensure residents remain stimulated and continue to feel part of the community. people in the home told us they enjoy the food provided and help to plan the menus. Staff training levels are good and regular updates of training courses are provided for all staff to ensure a professional workforce can appropriately meet all the required residents needs. Care Homes for Adults (18-65 years) Page 8 of 28 What has got better from the last inspection What the care home could do better Comments made in the staff and residents surveys indicate that staffing levels should be reviewed at weekends so that residents can be supported to pursue their chosen activities on Saturdays and Sundays. Care Homes for Adults (18-65 years) Page 9 of 28 If you want to read the full report of our inspection please ask the person in charge of the care home If you want to speak to the inspector please contact Patricia House 33 Greycoat Street London SW1P 2QF 02079792000 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 4. The report of this inspection is available from our website www.cqc.org.uk. You Care Homes for Adults (18-65 years) Page 10 of 28 can get printed copies from enquiries@cqc.org.uk or by telephoning our order line - 0870 240 7535 Care Homes for Adults (18-65 years) Page 11 of 28 Details of our findings Contents Choice of home (standards 1 - 5) Individual needs and choices (standards 6-10) Lifestyle (standards 11 - 17) Personal and healthcare support (standards 18 - 21) Concerns, complaints and protection (standards 22 - 23) Environment (standards 24 - 30) Staffing (standards 31 - 36) Conduct and management of the home (standards 37 - 43) Outstanding statutory requirements Requirements and recommendations from this inspection Care Homes for Adults (18-65 years) Page 12 of 28 Choice of home These are the outcomes that people staying in care homes should experience. They reflect the things that people have said are important to them: People are confident that the care home can support them. This is because there is an accurate assessment of their needs that they, or people close to them, have been involved in. This tells the home all about them, what they hope for and want to achieve, and the support they need. People can decide whether the care home can meet their support and accommodation needs. This is because they, and people close to them, can visit the home and get full, clear, accurate and up to date information. If they decide to stay in the home they know about their rights and responsibilities because there is an easy to understand contract or statement of terms and conditions between the person and the care home that includes how much they will pay and what the home provides for the money. This is what people staying in this care home experience: Judgement: People using this service experience good quality outcomes in this area. We have made this judgement using a range of evidence, including a visit to this service . Standard 2. People who use the service can be sure that full assessments will be completed to ensure that their needs will all be met in the home. Evidence: We checked a selection of care plans during the visit and those seen contained details of the initial assessment of need for each resident. We also saw copies of care summaries which had been provided by referring agencies. Initial care plans had been completed for each resident from this information and showed how the assessed needs were to be met. The completed surveys returned to the Commission from residents showed that most people had visited the home before they became a resident and showed that they had received adequate information about the service which had enabled them to make the decision to move in. Care Homes for Adults (18-65 years) Page 13 of 28 Individual needs and choices These are the outcomes that people staying in care homes should experience. They reflect the things that people have said are important to them: People’s needs and goals are met. The home has a plan of care that the person, or someone close to them, has been involved in making. People are able to make decisions about their life, including their finances, with support if they need it. This is because the staff promote their rights and choices. People are supported to take risks to enable them to stay independent. This is because the staff have appropriate information on which to base decisions. People are asked about, and are involved in, all aspects of life in the home. This is because the manager and staff offer them opportunities to participate in the day to day running of the home and enable them to influence key decisions. People are confident that the home handles information about them appropriately. This is because the home has clear policies and procedures that staff follow. This is what people staying in this care home experience: Judgement: People using this service experience good quality outcomes in this area. We have made this judgement using a range of evidence, including a visit to this service . Standards 6, 7 and 9. Procedures followed in the home ensure that people who use the service are supported to make their own decisions and are fully involved in the running of the home. Evidence: We spoke with some residents and observed the people in the home during the inspection. We tracked a selection of care plans and found that those seen accurately reflected the needs and preferences of the residents concerned. The care plans were person centred and had details shown in pictorial format. There was evidence that the residents concerned had been involved in their care planning and those people we spoke with confirmed this. The pictorial content of the plans included lots of photographs to show meal preferences, what the resident found important in their life and their weekly activities. Risk assessments were completed in a person centred way although some needed reviewing to be sure the details were still relevant. A bell has been installed in the Care Homes for Adults (18-65 years) Page 14 of 28 Evidence: bathroom to minimise the risk to one resident whilst supporting their independence. The manager said this situation is under review and a new system may soon be installed. The returned residents surveys indicate that residents always make their own decisions about their daily lives and participate in how the home is run. The care plans we checked had details of the residents personal allowances recorded in a person centred way and details were included of how the resident used their allowance. Currently five residents can access their own allowances. We tracked the personal allowance records for one resident and all amounts tallied and details of expenditure were in evidence. Regular audits of allowances take place by officers from the company head office and records are available for inspection. Care Homes for Adults (18-65 years) Page 15 of 28 Lifestyle These are the outcomes that people staying in care homes should experience. They reflect the things that people have said are important to them: Each person is treated as an individual and the care home is responsive to his or her race, culture, religion, age, disability, gender and sexual orientation. They can take part in activities that are appropriate to their age and culture and are part of their local community. The care home supports people to follow personal interests and activities. People are able to keep in touch with family, friends and representatives and the home supports them to have appropriate personal, family and sexual relationships. People are as independent as they can be, lead their chosen lifestyle and have the opportunity to make the most of their abilities. Their dignity and rights are respected in their daily life. People have healthy, well-presented meals and snacks, at a time and place to suit them. People have opportunities to develop their social, emotional, communication and independent living skills. This is because the staff support their personal development. People choose and participate in suitable leisure activities. This is what people staying in this care home experience: Judgement: People using this service experience good quality outcomes in this area. We have made this judgement using a range of evidence, including a visit to this service . Standards 12, 13, 15, 16 and 17. People who use the service are generally provided with adequate stimulation and are supported to remain part of the community. The meals provided at the home are nutritious and enjoyed by residents and help to maintain their good health. Evidence: In the returned surveys the residents indicated that staff support them to pursue their chosen interests but that they can choose whether they take part in activities or not. During the visit we saw one resident using cards and pictures to pursue an interest and we saw evidence of quizzes and music events provided by staff at the home. Care staff told us about the regular celebrations which are held at the home including a Valentines disco and Easter celebrations. The residents we spoke with confirmed that people in the home usually get on well together and enjoy the trips out which take place. Two of the current residents smoke cigarettes and the associated risk Care Homes for Adults (18-65 years) Page 16 of 28 Evidence: assessments have been documented. One resident has thier own cat who sleeps in their bedroom. The manager said that a group of residents belong to a local Church ladies group and that people from the Church regularly visit the home. We saw recorded details of a recent residents meeting where the choices made by residents were recorded. However, several comments in the returned residents and staff surveys indicate that the staffing level in the home at weekends does not always allow residents to pursue the activities they would like to. A comment in one residents survey stated that they could not always go to Church on Sundays as there were not always enough staff on duty to enable this. There were other comments which also stated that more weekend staff would need to be on duty to enable residents to be taken out. Other than that, all the comments made showed that people living in the home were satisfied with the daily routines and the content of their daily lives. We saw one resident helping to wash up during the visit and care staff said that residents are involved in the homes daily domestic tasks. Care staff provide meals in the home and residents assist with tasks and with shopping where appropriate. One resident has a diet provided with low fat and sugar content and snacks are provided for all residents between meals. The manager confirmed that individual dietary requirements were assessed by an extrernal dietician. We looked at the planned menus and the meals were well balanced to ensure the residents good health. The people we spoke with said they enjoyed the food provided at the home. There were pictorial details displayed on the fridge showing the individual choices that residents had made about how they liked their food and drinks provided so that care staff are sure what to actually provide. We saw the daily fridge, freezer and food temperature recordings and these showed that food was being stored and served appropriately. The manager said that the records of the actual food eaten by individual residents would now be recorded. Care Homes for Adults (18-65 years) Page 17 of 28 Personal and healthcare support These are the outcomes that people staying in care homes should experience. They reflect the things that people have said are important to them: People receive personal support from staff in the way they prefer and want. Their physical and emotional health needs are met because the home has procedures in place that staff follow. If people take medicine, they manage it themselves if they can. If they cannot manage their medicine, the care home supports them with it in a safe way. If people are approaching the end of their life, the care home will respect their choices and help them to feel comfortable and secure. They, and people close to them, are reassured that their death will be handled with sensitivity, dignity and respect, and take account of their spiritual and cultural wishes. This is what people staying in this care home experience: Judgement: People using this service experience good quality outcomes in this area. We have made this judgement using a range of evidence, including a visit to this service . Standards 18, 19 and 20. People who use the service can be sure that their individual health needs will be met and that the homes system for administering medication will help to protect them from the risk of harm. Evidence: We saw evidence on peoples care plans that appropriate referrals are made to Health professionals when the need arises. Details are recorded of epilepsy monitoring and people have regular Health checks documented. We checked the system for storing and administering medication in the home. Procedures were generally sound and no errors were found in the records. A spot check showed that the amount of tablets checked for one resident tallied with records of the medication received and administered. We saw a recent report from a pharmacists audit and all areas were found to be satisfactory. The home has a written medication policy and the manager is currently reviewing and updating this document. The home also needs a dedicated record book for detailing any controlled drugs and the manager said she would purchase this to comply with current pharmacy guidelines. Care Homes for Adults (18-65 years) Page 18 of 28 Evidence: One resident currently keeps and self medicates their inhalers and the process is risk assessed and documented. Care Homes for Adults (18-65 years) Page 19 of 28 Concerns, complaints and protection These are the outcomes that people staying in care homes should experience. They reflect the things that people have said are important to them: If people have concerns with their care, they or people close to them, know how to complain. Their concern is looked into and action taken to put things right. The care home safeguards people from abuse, neglect and self-harm and takes action to follow up any allegations. There are no additional outcomes. This is what people staying in this care home experience: Judgement: People using this service experience good quality outcomes in this area. We have made this judgement using a range of evidence, including a visit to this service . Standards 22 and 23. People who use the service can be confident that any concerns they might have will be addressed and that procedures followed in the home will help to protect them from the risk of abuse. Evidence: The home has written policies covering making a complaint, adult protection and whistle blowing. The staff we asked said they were aware of these policies and of their implications and received regular updated abuse training. The manager was clear about current safeguarding guidelines and has made one safeguarding referral to the local authority since the last inspection. In the returned surveys, residents indicated that they would be comfortable telling staff about any concerns they might have and were aware of how to make a complaint. The home has a complaints policy in pictorial format and evidence was seen on care plans that residents are fully aware of this. Care Homes for Adults (18-65 years) Page 20 of 28 Environment These are the outcomes that people staying in care homes should experience. They reflect the things that people have said are important to them: People stay in a safe and well-maintained home that is homely, clean, comfortable, pleasant and hygienic. People stay in a home that has enough space and facilities for them to lead the life they choose and to meet their needs. The home makes sure they have the right specialist equipment that encourages and promotes their independence. Their room feels like their own, it is comfortable and they feel safe when they use it. People have enough privacy when using toilets and bathrooms. This is what people staying in this care home experience: Judgement: People using this service experience good quality outcomes in this area. We have made this judgement using a range of evidence, including a visit to this service . Standards 24 and 30. People who use the service benefit from living in a home which is well maintained and where procedures followed help to protect them from the risk of infection. Evidence: During the inspection we visited all parts of the home. All areas were well maintained although the flooring in the kitchen was beginning to wear around the edges and will need replacing in due course. Residents bedrooms and communal rooms are appropriately furnished and decorated and residents have made each room suit their individual tastes. The gardens were well kept and looked very attractive and the residents we asked indicated that they enjoyed using the gardens in the good weather. All areas of the home were very clean and communal bathrooms and toilets all contained liquid soap and paper towels to ensure that good infection control is maintained in the home. Care Homes for Adults (18-65 years) Page 21 of 28 Staffing These are the outcomes that people staying in care homes should experience. They reflect the things that people have said are important to them: People have safe and appropriate support as there are enough competent, qualified staff on duty at all times. They have confidence in the staff at the home because checks have been done to make sure that they are suitable. People’s needs are met and they are supported because staff get the right training, supervision and support they need from their managers. People are supported by an effective staff team who understand and do what is expected of them. This is what people staying in this care home experience: Judgement: People using this service experience good quality outcomes in this area. We have made this judgement using a range of evidence, including a visit to this service . Standards 32, 33, 34 and 35. People who use the service have their needs met by well trained and competent staff who have been appropriately recruited to ensure the residents are protected from the risk of abuse. Evidence: On the day of the inspection we found three staff on duty and those staff we spoke with confirmed that there are always two waking and one sleeping members of staff on duty at night. The residents we asked indicated that they felt there were usually enough staff on duty to meet their needs during the week. However almost all the returned surveys from residents and staff commented that, to enable residents to pursue their choices of activities at weekends, as already noted in this report, more staff would need to be on duty on Saturdays and Sundays. The staff we spoke with said that they received good levels of training at the home and felt confident in their care roles. This satisfaction with the training provided was echoed in the staff surveys returned to the Commission. In one survey the care worker stated that they had originally worked at the home as an agency worker but had then been recruited to the permanent staff team and been provided with excellent support and training and now really enjoyed working at the home. The manager is currently Care Homes for Adults (18-65 years) Page 22 of 28 Evidence: completing a training matrix for all staff to ensure that everyones training is always up to date. We checked a selection of staff recruitment records and saw evidence that all necessary employment checks had been in place before the individual had started work at the home. This ensures that residents in the home have their needs met by appropriate people and are protected from the risk of abuse. We also saw details of the induction training provided for staff and this was thorough and gave detailed information to new care workers. Care Homes for Adults (18-65 years) Page 23 of 28 Conduct and management of the home These are the outcomes that people staying in care homes should experience. They reflect the things that people have said are important to them: People have confidence in the care home because it is run and managed appropriately. People’s opinions are central to how the home develops and reviews their practice, as the home has appropriate ways of making sure they continue to get things right. The environment is safe for people and staff because health and safety practices are carried out. People get the right support from the care home because the manager runs it appropriately, with an open approach that makes them feel valued and respected. They are safeguarded because the home follows clear financial and accounting procedures, keeps records appropriately and makes sure staff understand the way things should be done. This is what people staying in this care home experience: Judgement: People using this service experience good quality outcomes in this area. We have made this judgement using a range of evidence, including a visit to this service . Standards 37, 39 and 42. People who use the service can be sure their views are used in the daily running of the home and that procedures followed by staff ensure their welfare is promoted at all times. Evidence: The manager is registered with the Commission and has completed the Registered Managers award and NVQ level 4 in care. The staff and residents we spoke with said the manager listened to their comments and all felt included in the daily running of the home. The returned staff surveys said that there was good communication in the home and they were kept informed of all relevant issues and changes. We saw evidence of a recent residents meeting which had taken place and saw details recorded of the choices made by each resident as a result. Care staff said this was to ensure that individual preferences could now be met. The home also operates a formal quality assurance programme where residents, relatives, and stakeholders views are sought and acted on. Care Homes for Adults (18-65 years) Page 24 of 28 Evidence: The home had had a recent visit from the Fire Safety Officer. The report had not yet been received but the manager said that any requirements from the visit would be immediately actioned. There is a hoist available in the home should the need arise and the staff we spoke with confirmed they had received thorough training in manual handling and that there would always be two staff using the hoist to ensure the safety of residents and care staff. All staff at the home complete a one day first aid course to ensure residents are safe at all times. We saw no hazardous substances left accessible during the visit. Care Homes for Adults (18-65 years) Page 25 of 28 Are there any outstanding requirements from the last inspection? Yes  No  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, Care Homes Regulations 2001 and the National Minimum Standards. No Standard Regulation Requirement Timescale for action Care Homes for Adults (18-65 years) Page 26 of 28 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 Description Timescale for action Statutory requirements These requirements set out what the registered person must do to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, Care Homes Regulations 2001 and the National Minimum Standards. The registered person(s) must do this within the timescales we have set No Standard Regulation Description Timescale for action 1 33 18 Weekend staffing levels and deployment must be reviewed at the home. 01/07/2009 This is to ensure that the assessed needs and choices of all residents in the home can be reasonably met at all times. 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 27 of 28 Helpline: Telephone: 03000 616161 or Textphone : or 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 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. Care Homes for Adults (18-65 years) Page 28 of 28 - Please note that this information is included on www.bestcarehome.co.uk under license from the regulator. Re-publishing this information is in breach of the terms of use of that website. Discrete codes and changes have been inserted throughout the textual data shown on the site that will provide incontrovertable proof of copying in the event this information is re-published on other websites. The policy of www.bestcarehome.co.uk is to use all legal avenues to pursue such offenders, including recovery of costs. 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