About the service

Sunnybank is a care home which is part of Millennium Care Services and is registered to accommodate up to eight people who are living with a learning disability. The service has a detached house which can accommodate up to six people and a bungalow which can accommodate up to two people and are situated on the same site. There were eight people using the service at the time of our inspection.

People’s experience of using this service

Staff were extremely supportive and caring and knew people very well. Staff respected people’s privacy and dignity and were passionate about including people in their support.

Care records were clearly written and were an accurate reflection of the support people required. People took part in a range of social activities of their choice. The provider had a complaints procedure in place which explained how people could raise concerns. The service had not received any concerns.

The service was managed extremely well by a leadership team who were dedicated to ensure the values of the provider were at the heart of all they achieved. Audits were in place to ensure the service was working in line with the providers policies and procedures. Any actions were addressed to ensure the service continually developed in line with people’s needs. People were offered forums to feedback about their experience of the service.

The provider was working within the values that underpin the Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These values include choice, promotion of independence and inclusion. People with learning disabilities and autism using the service can live as ordinary a life as any citizen.

People who used the service were safeguarded from the risk of abuse. Staff had received training in this subject and told us what action they would take if abuse was suspected or witnessed. Accidents and incidents were monitored to identify trends and patterns so that future incidents could be minimised. Risks associated with people’s care and support were identified and actions were taken to minimise risks occurring. The provider ensured that people’s medicines were managed in a safe way. There were plenty of staff available to ensure people were safe and could engage in activities of their choice.

Staff received training and support to carry out their role effectively. The service was meeting the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). People had access to healthcare professionals when required and ongoing healthcare was maintained. People received a healthy and balanced diet which incorporated their favourite foods.

Rating at last inspection

Good (Report published 23 June 2016)

Why we inspected

This was a planned comprehensive inspection based on the rating at the last inspection.

The inspection took place on 24 March 2016 and was unannounced. The service was last inspected in November 2013 and was found to be fully compliant at that time.

Sunnybank provides accommodation and care for up to eight adults, who have a learning disability, autism or a mental health condition; some of which have complex needs. At the time of our inspection the service was full with eight people currently using the service. The home offers accommodation across two floors and has two self-contained flats. The service had a registered manager in post, although they were in the process of changing to another manager who had been in post since October 2015, and would apply to register with the Care Quality Commission when they had completed their probationary period.

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 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

People who used the service told us they very felt safe, and well cared for. Relatives of people who lived at the home told us their relatives were safe and they had no concerns about any aspect of the care and support they received.

Medicines were managed safely by well trained, competent staff. People received their medicines in line with the instructions of the prescriber.

There were plenty of staff on duty which meant people were not only safe, but staff had time to interact positively with them and support them to undertake a range of activities which enriched their lives. We saw there had been significant progress made by people who used the service in terms of the level of independence and the skills they had developed.

Staff were well trained, knowledgeable and passionate. Each member of staff had in depth knowledge of each person they supported and knew them extremely well. This meant staff were able to recognise subtle signs which may indicate a person was becoming anxious or upset and could distract them before this escalated into behaviour which challenged others. We found whilst there were some incidents these were rare and were exceptionally well managed by the staff team. All incidents and accidents were recorded in detail and investigated.

Care plans were extremely detailed and person centred and included goals which had been identified and step by step plans which demonstrated how these could be achieved. There were robust risk assessments in place which were risk specific and individual to each person to ensure the risk was minimised as far as possible.

People were actively encouraged to participate in the planning of all aspects of their lives, from what they ate and did each day to planning for trips out and holidays. People were able to access activities which matched and developed their interests for example some people went to the X Factor tour each year.

The service was thoughtful in their approach to giving people who lived at the home access to new experiences and opportunities to gain new skills and confidence.

We found the service to be very warm and welcoming. The inspection felt like a visit to a family home. People were enthusiastic in wanting to speak to us and to make sure we were well looked after throughout our visit.

We found the management of the service was open, approachable and extremely visible. There was detailed oversight of the service and input to the service by the day to day managers and the senior management team within Millennium Care Services.

Processes were constantly monitored and reviewed to ensure the quality and safety of the service and we saw very clear evidence that there was a programme of continuous improvement in place and this was being carried out in line with the timescales which had been put in place.

Some people who used the service had difficulty communicating and were not able to verbally tell us their experiences. We used a number of different methods to help us to understand their experiences, including talking with some of the people who used the service, talking with staff, looking at records and observing the care being delivered.

We spoke with three members of staff and they all told us that they enjoyed working at the home. One member of staff told us “you get so much back from seeing people progress” and another told us “the staff team are good”.

We spoke with two of the people who used the service and one person told us they “like it here” and “staff look after me” another one told us that they felt they were “treated well”.

We looked at the care plans of four of the people who used the service. We saw that each plan was focussed on the individual and were very detailed. The manager of the service told us that they tried to keep the family involved with the care and support of the people who used the service and we saw pictures of a family day that had been organised by the service.

We saw that staff had training in safeguarding and were able to tell us what they would do if they had any concerns about the people who used the service. The two people we spoke with told us that they “feel safe” in the home.

We saw that staff treated people with respect and that interaction between staff and the people who lived in the home was warm and respectful.

Because of communication difficulties we were unable to speak with the majority of people who used the service. However, one person was able to tell us about their experiences in the home and we were able to observe interaction between other people who were living in the home and staff who worked there.

The person told us they planned their daily routines with the support of staff. They told us they particularly liked going out for meals which they did on a regular basis.

They also they liked the staff, taking part in planned activities and having opportunity to go out into the local community. The person said, “I enjoy playing golf on the driving range and a game of darts at the local pub.” They also told us “This is a good place to live.”

The person told us they took medication but needed staff to administer this on their behalf because they were not able to do this for themselves safely.

We were told that people took part in house meetings and were asked for their views about the support they received. One person who was living at the home had been actively involved in the recruitment process of new staff.