120 Pontefract Road is registered to provide various levels of support which promote independent living. The service provides a rehabilitation and recovery service for people living in their own homes who may need support with their mental health.

At the time of this inspection 120 Pontefract Road was supporting 16 people whose support included the provision of the regulated activity ‘personal care’.

There was a registered manager in place. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are 'registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

The registered manager was on annual leave during the week of our inspection. We therefore agreed to meet with the providers operations manager who knew the service well.

At our last inspection we rated the service good. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

At this inspection, we found the service remained Good.

Why the service is rated Good.

People receiving support and their relatives told us they were confident they or their family member was safe.

Staff were clear about their reporting responsibilities in relation to any safeguarding or and the poor practice of colleagues.

Staff had been safely recruited. There were enough staff to meet people's assessed support needs in a reliable, consistent and flexible way.

Systems were in place to help ensure the safe handling of medicines and to reduce the risk of cross infection in the service.

Policies and procedures for the safe administration of medicines were in place.

Staff were provided with relevant training, supervision and appraisal so they had the skills they needed to undertake their role.

People receiving support and their relatives felt staff had the right skills to do their job. They said staff were respectful and caring in their approach.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People’s support plans contained relevant person centred information to inform staff. The support plans had been reviewed to ensure they were up to date.

People were confident in reporting concerns to the registered manager and felt they would be listened to.

There were quality assurance and audit processes in place to make sure the service was running well.

The service had a full range of policies and procedures available to staff.

People told us that they got on with their support workers and were well matched. Staff spoken with knew people well.

People told us there independence and social inclusion was promoted.

We received positive feedback from the staff we spoke with about the registered manager and the management team who were said to be approachable and supportive. Staff said they thought that 120 Pontefract Road was a supportive organisation with clear values.

120 Pontefract Road is registered to provide various levels of support which promote independent living. The service provides a rehabilitation and recovery service for people living in their own homes who may need support with their mental health. At the time of this inspection 120 Pontefract Road was supporting 13 people whose support included the provision of the regulated activity ‘personal care’.

There was a registered manager at the service who was registered with CQC. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

Our last inspection at 120 Pontefract Road took place on 7 October 2013. The service was found to be meeting the requirements of the regulations we inspected at that time.

This inspection took place on 2 December 2015 and short notice was given. We told the registered manager two working days before our visit that we would be coming. We did this because the registered manager is sometimes out of the office supporting staff or visiting people who use the service. We needed to be sure that the registered manager would be available.

People told us that they felt safe receiving care from the 120 Pontefract Road service and that their privacy and dignity were well respected.

Recruitment practices were robust and the registered provider undertook spot checks on staff and asked people for feedback so that they could monitor the safety and effectiveness of the service.

People spoken with said they had the same regular support workers that they knew very well. They always knew which support worker would be visiting to support them because they received a weekly rota of visits from the support service. People said staff arrived when they should and never ‘rushed off’.

We found systems were in place to make sure people received their medicines safely.

Staff were provided with a thorough induction programme and continual training programme to make sure they had the right skills and knowledge for their role. Staff said they were very happy in their work, felt supported by managers and were proud to work at the service.

The service followed the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) Code of practice and the principles of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). This helped to protect the rights of people who may not be able to make important decisions themselves.

The support provided was person centred and each person had a support plan that accurately reflected their needs and wishes so that these could be respected. Support plans had been reviewed on a monthly basis. These reviews involved staff, a manager and the person to ensure they remained up to date.

People supported said they could speak with staff or a manager of the service if they had any worries or concerns and they would be listened to.

There were effective systems in place to monitor and improve the quality of the service provided. Regular checks and audits were undertaken to make sure full and safe procedures were adhered to. People using the service, their relatives and health professionals had been asked their opinion via surveys. The results of these had been audited to identify any areas for improvement. Where a person had identified they did not wish to remain anonymous, a manager met individually to talk to people where any issues of concern had been raised.

We visited the agency office and spoke to the registered manager and other care staff who came to the office to meet with us. Three people who used the service had expressed a wish to meet us and kindly came to the office to meet and speak with us.

Records checked showed that before people received any care, support or treatment they were asked for their consent and the staff acted in accordance with their wishes.

People experienced care, treatment and support that met their needs and protected their rights. All people we spoke with were satisfied with their care. Their comments included, "All staff are very nice”, “Staff are lovely”, “I don’t know what I’d do without them [staff] I’d be lost” and “The service is really good it helps me get on with my life, staff have really helped me.”

We found that people's needs were identified in care plans which staff reviewed at regular intervals. Records showed that people had been involved in the care and support planning process.

Where people were assisted and/ or prompted with their medication, people we spoke with did not have any concerns. Staff were appropriately trained and appropriate policies and procedures were in place.

People were cared for, or supported by, suitably qualified, skilled and experienced staff. The provider had appropriate and effective recruitment procedures in place.

The provider had an effective system to regularly assess and monitor the quality of service that people received.

We visited the services office and spoke to the registered manager and other senior staff. Care workers also came to the office to meet with us.

Three people who used the service had expressed a wish to meet us and kindly came to the office to meet and speak with us. We asked people about their experiences of the support they received from the service. People spoke positively about the service and staff. Some comments captured included, “Staff are brilliant, absolutely fantastic”, “I would not be where I am now without the fantastic staff and managers of this service “and” The staff are a godsend to me.”

We found that people's care and welfare needs were assessed and each person had a written plan of care that set out their identified needs and support and the actions required of staff to meet these.

All of the people spoken to said that they were safe with the service’s support staff.

We found that relevant training and support was provided to staff so that people's welfare and safety was promoted.

The service had a complaints policy and procedure. All of the people spoken with said they had no complaints or concerns about the service.

We saw records of healthcare professionals feedback that had been submitted to the service as part of their ‘Quality Evaluation Survey’. Comments included ”The service is of a high quality, flexible and individual based according to people’s needs.”