Care Home: Tor Vale

Similar services:

• 2 Perhaver Park
• The Vicarage
• St George`s
• 5 Seafield Road
• Radfords
• Honeybourne House
• 32 Beaumont Way

What the care home does well The service provides well-planned individual, person-centred care for people living there. People live in a clean and well maintained environment which is well adapted to meettheir individual needs and tastes. Staff recruitment is robust and helps to protect people from potential abuse. What the care home could do better: We have not made any requirements or recommendations as a result of this inspection. Random inspection report Care homes for adults (18-65 years) Name: Address: Tor Vale Chittleburn Hill Brixton Plymouth Devon PL8 2BJ three star excellent service 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 review of the service. We call this review a ‘key’ inspection. This is a report of a random inspection of this care home. A random inspection is a short, focussed review of the service. 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: Graham Thomas Date: 3 0 0 4 2 0 1 0 Information about the care home Name of care home: Address: Tor Vale Chittleburn Hill Brixton Plymouth Devon PL8 2BJ 01752480950 01752480950 torvale@durnford.org Telephone number: Fax number: Email address: Provider web address: Name of registered provider(s): Name of registered manager (if applicable) Mrs Lesley Amanda Barry Type of registration: Number of places registered: Conditions of registration: Category(ies) : The Durnford Society Ltd care home 5 Number of places (if applicable): Under 65 Over 65 0 learning disability Conditions of registration: 5 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 with nursing - Code N to service users of either gender whose primary care needs on admission to the home are within the following category: Lerning disability (Code LD) Date of last inspection Brief description of the care home Tor Vale is a purpose-built home for 5 service users with profound learning and physical disability. The staff provide 24-hour nursing care in a supportive comfortable homely environment. The home comprises a lounge, dining room, domestic type kitchen, five bedrooms, two toilets, one bathroom, one shower room, a treatment Care Homes for Adults (18-65 years) Page 2 of 10 Brief description of the care home room and an office. The home benefits from level gardens, and paved seating areas. The mini bus is available to transport service users for leisure and recreational purposes. The home is situated close to the village of Brixton. The home is administered by the Durnford Society Ltd, which is a non-profit making industrial and Provident Society and has the charitable status.... The statement of purpose is available in the office of the home. This had been provided in audio disc (CD) form and as a paper document. The fees are paid through a block contract with the Health Authority that funds the current placements. Individual fees are not stated. Care Homes for Adults (18-65 years) Page 3 of 10 What we found: A new law concerning the regulation of care services is due to be implemented in October 2010. For services that are currently rated as excellent our policy has changed. This means that this last planned inspection under the old law is a random rather then a key inspection. In a random inspection we look at specific areas of the services work rather then inspecting all the key standards. This inspection will not alter the homes current excellent rating. Before we visited the home, we looked at information they had sent us about events in the home such as accidents. These are called notifications. We also looked at surveys that had been completed by for us by staff and relatives and a letter from an advocate representing two people living in the home. Before our visit we asked the home to complete an Annual Quality Assurance Assessment (AQAA) to tell us about the home and how it is being run. We visited the home and met two people who live there. We looked at their files and spoke with staff about their care. In our tour of the home, we looked at the two peoples rooms and the shared areas of the home to make sure they had all the facilities they needed. The manager showed us the system for administering medicines and the specific records for the two people whose care we looked at. This included a check of the controlled drugs used in the home. We also looked at the files of two staff to check that there were sound recruitment procedures in place. The two staff spoke with us about their recruitment and their work in the home. Relatives and the advocate made many positive comments about the care people receive at Tor Vale. For example, the advocate told us, In my opinion, they receive the highest possible level of care, both medically and in terms of the staff ensuring the best quality of life possible Comments from a relative about one persons care were that, Her care assistants always listen to her and understand her needs, which is remarkable Environment We looked around the home and found that all areas were clean and free from offensive odours and obvious hazards. There was evidence of recent redecoration and refurbishment. Individual rooms were personalised with peoples possessions and ornaments. Adaptations had been made to meet the specific needs of people living in the home. For example, speakers had been fitted in the bathroom so that the music of peoples choice could be played while they have a bath. For some people living in the home this is important to help them relax and make bathing a pleasant experience. Outside the bathroom, we saw a flannel hanging by the door. The manager explained that this was for environmental mapping to help people understand the environment and orientate themselves within it. Specialised equipment and adaptations were in place Care Homes for Adults (18-65 years) Page 4 of 10 to meet the specific needs of people living in the home. These included, for example, electrically adjustable beds, hoists, a hydraulic shower trolley and an adapted bath. The bath also had a changing facility to reduce the amount of manual handling required. Care and Support We looked at the records and care plans for two people. The needs of each person had been assessed before they moved in so that the home was sure it could provide the care and support they needed. Each plan provided detailed information about the person, their personal habits and preferences and how their physical, psychological and social needs were to be met. The Manager showed us how these plans were being further improved to make them more person centred. This work is being supported by a steering group and facilitators working within the Durnford Society. We saw in one plan that the persons mobility needs had changed. There was a record of a review of these changing needs, a detailed risk assessment and moving and handling plan. We saw that equipment was in place to support this person including a monitor to alert staff of their movements at night to reduce the risk of falls and injury. The plan told us that the person was at risk of skin breakdown. We saw records of ongoing monitoring and review of this risk and that prescribed creams were being administered. Issues of the persons mental capacity and ability to communicate were considered in the plans concerning medication. The plans gave clear instructions to staff that medicines were not to be administered without the persons consent. There was a detailed description in the plan about how the person would communicate consent or refusal of medicines. The persons file also contained records of the involvement of external professional such as the Speech and Language Therapy service. Evidence of routine medical screening was also contained in the files including, for example, a record of bowel screening. The staff with whom we spoke had a clear understanding of the persons needs and how they were to be met. This included for example, the support provided to help the person follow their interest in watching sport by attending a football match. Staff also spoke about how contact was maintained with the persons family. We had received a notification since our last visit that this person had gone missing for a short period. The manager told us about the steps they had taken to ensure the safety of this person. In another plan we saw that the person was in the advanced stages of dementia associated with Downs syndrome. We saw that the person was being kept comfortable in a chair with pressure relieving cushions and a support pillow. The staff told us how the person was regularly moved between chairs and their bed to maintain the level of comfort. We saw that hoists and slings were available to move the person in accordance with their plan. The plan described the persons needs for a pureed diet. The manager told us that each part of the meal was pureed separately to maintain its individual colour, flavour and aroma. Care Homes for Adults (18-65 years) Page 5 of 10 The persons plan contained details for carers about the wishes of the person and their family in the event of their death. Records of medication being administered for both people were up to date and in good order. This included the use of controlled drugs which were recorded in a separate register with two staff signatures. Medication was safely stored in a locked room in secure cabinets. A dedicated refrigerator was available for medicines requiring cool storage though none was in use at the time of our visit. We looked at records concerning accidents in the home. All accidents had been recorded in detail and these were reviewed by senior managers. Staffing We looked at the files of two staff and spoke with them. One had been recruited since our last visit. The files contained evidence of a robust recruitment procedure including checks of identity, references and criminal records checks. The staff member most recently recruited told us about their induction programme and initial training which had been based on a nationally recognised framework. At the time of our visit there appeared to be enough staff to meet individual needs. The staff with whom we spoke were clearly focussed on the needs of people living in the home. One told us, The needs of the people living here are my first priority This was reflected in our observations of staff at work when, for example, hoisting a person in their wheelchair. This was done with sensitivity and patience, explaining to the person what was happening at every stage. The person had a visual impairment and staff were careful to explain to the person what was happening in their environment and who was nearby. In the surveys returned to us staff generally expressed satisfaction about the level of support they received from their manager. They confirmed that they received regular supervision and records of this were seen in individual files. We also saw that each staff member had an individual development plan and was receiving training in topics relevant to the needs of people living in the home. There was also evidence of routine training in health and safety topics such as first aid, moving and handling and fire safety. The manager also showed us work undertaken with the staff in preparation for the introduction of new standards and regulations in October 2010 Some staff surveys returned to us described areas where staff thought that improvements could be made such as the rapidity of obtaining palliative care support and communication with senior management in the organisation. However, the AQAA returned to us by the home showed that managers are aware of what ongoing improvements they might make to the service. What the care home does well: The service provides well-planned individual, person-centred care for people living there. People live in a clean and well maintained environment which is well adapted to meet Care Homes for Adults (18-65 years) Page 6 of 10 their individual needs and tastes. Staff recruitment is robust and helps to protect people from potential abuse. 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 Care Quality Commission 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: 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 summary in a different format or language please contact our helpline or go to our website. © Care Quality Commission 2010 This publication may be reproduced in whole or in part in any format or medium for noncommercial purposes, provided that it is reproduced accurately and not used in a derogatory manner or in a misleading context. The source should be acknowledged, by showing the publication title and © Care Quality Commission 2010. Care Homes for Adults (18-65 years) Page 10 of 10 - 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. You have been warned!