Care Home: Argyll House

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Annual service review Name of Service: Argyll House 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: Elaine Barber Date of this annual service review: 1 2 0 2 2 0 1 0 Annual Service Review Page 1 of 7 Information about the service Address of service: 578 Cricklade Road Swindon SN2 7AS 01189581950 01793721928 tracey.alexander@choiceltd.co.uk Telephone number: Fax number: Email address: Provider web address:   Name of registered provider(s): Conditions of registration: Category(ies) : learning disability physical disability Conditions of registration: C.H.O.I.C.E Ltd Number of places (if applicable): Under 65 Over 65 4 1 0 0 The maximum number of service users who can be accommodated is 5. The registered person may provide the following category of service only: Care home only - Code PC to service users of either gender whose primary care needs on admission to the home are within the following categories: Learning disability (Code LD) - maximum of 4 places Physical disability (Code PD) - maximum of 1 place 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 Argyll House is a 5 bedded home for adults with a learning disabilities, between the ages of 18 and 30 years. One person may have a physical disability. The service is one of 18 homes owned by CHOICE Ltd. The registered manager is Ms Tracey Alexander. The home was registered with us, as a new service in August 2007. Argyll House is located in Swindon, close to the town centre and a range of local amenities. All bedrooms are single and have an en-suite facility consisting of a shower, hand washbasin and toilet. There is a spacious lounge/dining room, which leads to a Annual Service Review Page 2 of 7 conservatory. There is parking to the front of the home. There is a secluded garden to the rear of the house, with a patio area and summer house/sensory room. Staffing levels are maintained at three or more staff on duty during the waking day. At night, there are two waking night staff. An on call management system is available at all times. At the last inspection fees for living at Argyll House ranged between 1600 and 2200 pounds a week. 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? This We looked at all the information that we have received, or asked for, since the last inspection or annual service review. This included: * The annual quality assurance assessment (AQAA) that was sent to us by the service. The AQAA is a self-assessment that focuses on how well outcomes are being met for people who use the service. It also gave some numerical information about the service. * Information we have about how the service has managed any complaints. * Surveys that we have received from people who use the service. * What the service has told us about things that have happened in the service, these are called notifications and are a legal requirement. * The previous key inspection on 31 January 2008. * The last annual service review on 24 February 2009. * Relevant information from other organisations. * What other people have told us about the service. What has this told us about the service? The home sent us their annual quality assurance assessment (AQAA) when we asked for it. It was clear and gave us all the information we asked for. They told us what they do well. This included a thorough assessment of each persons needs before they moved into the home. People had the opportunity to visit the home and stay the night before deciding whether it was the right place for them. People could choose the decor of their rooms and the home would decorate before they moved in. Each person had an essential lifestyle plan which was person centred and contained information about their likes, dislikes, strengths and needs. People were encouraged to make choices and people were involved in the routines of the home. The home provides a wide range of day time activities including horse riding and ice skating. Staff supported people to keep in contact with family and friends and visitors were welcome in the home. People were offered a healthy diet and a choice of meals. Peoples health care needs were being met and people had access to specialist care when they needed it. They also told us that peoples complaints were taken seriously and acted upon. There were procedures about prevention from abuse and staff had received training so that people were protected from abuse and harm. The accommodation was well maintained Annual Service Review Page 4 of 7 so that people lived in a comfortable clean and safe environment. Argyll House has a full dedicated and committed staff team in place which meets peoples individual needs. The team is very diverse with a balance of skills, knowledge and experience. Staff have all the appropriate checks before they start work so that people are kept safe. Staff receive the necessary training before they start work and most of the staff have a National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) in health and social care. The home is well managed and there are systems in place to make sure that peoples health, safety and welfare are promoted. They gave us information about improvements in the last twelve months. They said that the deputy manager has been working with one person so that they are now able to use some signs. This has increased their ability to make choices. They are in the process of making a visual menu board to show the choices of meals each day. They have purchased a trampoline, a touch screen computer and additional sensory equipment during the last year. A specially adapted arm chair has been purchased for one person. New activities are now available such as Art Therapy. Changes had been made to the arrangements for medication to make them safer. A My Health In Hospital has been developed for each person in case they get hospitalised at any time. A Health Care Matrix is now displayed on the office wall making it easier to see when appointments are due. They also said that staff have received training about managing aggression and new behavioural support plans have been developed so that people are supported with particular needs. The staff team are now very stable and work well together. They know the needs of the people who use the service. All staff have a great rapport with each service user and are able to judge very early on when something is wrong and act on it accordingly. They no longer use agency staff which has given a consistency of approach and the ability to provide a very high level of care to the people they support. They also told us what they could do better. They were in the process of putting their Service User Guide and Statement of Purpose onto an audio format for all the people who lived in the home to listen to as and when they wanted. They wanted to continue to build on improvements they have made over the last 12 months. They also wanted to encourage people to try new things and to be as independent as possible. The Assistant Manager did not have an allocated management day and therefore had to do things like supervision whilst on shift or after her shift had ended. They wanted to arrange for her to have a management day, then time would not be taken out of care hours. We received survey forms from four people who lived in the home. Three of the people had help from staff to complete the surveys. Three people told us they had been asked if they wanted to move into the home and two of them said that they had been given enough information to decide whether it was the right place for them. Three people said that they made decisions about what they did each day. One person said that they could do what they wanted during the day, the evening and at weekends. Another person said that they could do what they wanted during the day and at weekends and a third person said that they could do what you wanted in the evenings. Two people knew who to talk to if they were not happy and they knew how to make a complaint. They said that the home was always fresh and clean, the staff treated them well and the staff listened to them and acted upon what they said. Annual Service Review Page 5 of 7 We asked people what the home does well. They told us: Staff are very good at supporting me. I really enjoy my music therapy and horse riding. The staff are nice. I like the things I do when I am not at college like bowling, cooking, horse riding and I have tried ice skating once. We asked people how the home could improve. Comments included: I do not know. The home continues to let us know about things that have happened since our last key inspection and they have shown that they have managed issues well. They work well with us and have shown us that their service continues to provide good outcomes for the people who use it. We looked at the information in the AQAA and the surveys and our judgment is that the home is still providing a good service and that they know what further improvements they need to make. What are we going to do as a result of this annual service review? We are not going to change our inspection plan. However we can inspect the service at any time if we have concerns about the quality of the service or the safety of the people who use 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). 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. 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