Potensial Limited – 1 Newlands Drive is a residential care home for 12 people with a learning disability. At the last inspection, the service was rated ‘good’. At this inspection we found the service remained good. Eleven people lived at the home and another bedroom was used for respite stays.

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. We considered the service to be outstanding in the way that people were encouraged and supported to participate in work and leisure activities, to achieve their goals and follow their dreams.

There were enough staff to meet people’s support needs and the staff had good knowledge of the individuals who lived at the home. New staff had been recruited safely and all staff completed a corporate training programme. Staff had regular individual supervision meetings.

The home was clean and a programme of redecoration and refurbishment was continuing. Regular health and safety checks were carried out. People were all registered with a local health centre and had an annual health check.

Menus were planned weekly by the people who lived at the home.

Care files gave details of people’s medical history and medication, and information about the person’s life and their preferences. A monthly review of all aspects of the person’s support was recorded by their keyworker.

The home implemented various methods of monitoring the quality of the service including daily checks, monthly audits, monthly meetings for staff and service users and satisfaction surveys.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

The inspection took place on 2 March 2015 and was unannounced. The care home is a domestic style property in a residential area, but close to the centre of Wallasey. The home is a large detached property that blends in with its neighbours and is not identified as a care home.

The service is registered to provide accommodation and personal care for up to 12 people. The people accommodated had a learning disability and/or mental health needs and required 24 hour support from staff. The home is part of the range of services provided by the Wirral-based company Potensial Limited and had a manager who was registered with the Care Quality Commission. 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.

At the time of the inspection, ten people lived at 1Newlands Drive. One of these people had been admitted to hospital. Another person was having a respite stay at the home.

There were enough qualified and experienced staff to meet people’s needs and the staff we spoke with had good knowledge of the support needs of the people who lived at the home. All staff had received training about safeguarding and this was updated every year.

We found that the home was clean and a programme of redecoration and refurbishment was in progress. Records we looked at showed that the required health and safety checks were carried out.

We found that medicines were managed safely and records confirmed that people always received the medication prescribed by their doctor.

People we spoke with confirmed that they had choices in all aspects of daily living. Menus were planned weekly to suit the choices of the people who lived at the home and alternatives were always available. People were encouraged and supported to join in work and leisure activities.

People were all registered with a local GP practice and had an annual health check. The care plans we looked at gave details of people’s medical history and medication, and information about the person’s life and their preferences. A 'health action plan' was in place for each person and there was a record of medical appointments people had attended.

The home implemented various methods of monitoring the quality of the service including

daily checks, monthly audits, and satisfaction surveys. A monthly key worker summary

was written for each of the people who lived at the home and a monthly meeting was held for people who used the service.

The people we met had limited ability to communicate verbally, however we were able to observe interactions between staff and the people who lived at the home and we saw that staff were able to communicate with people and to understand their needs. People were able to decide their own daily routines and this was recorded in their support plans. Most people had time allocated each week for one to one support. Some people had family members who were closely involved in their care and support and were involved in three monthly reviews.

People were all mobile and in good health and were supported to access health services as needed. There was a detailed pen picture in the front of people’s care files and these provided an overview of the person’s history, support needs, and personal preferences. A new system of record keeping made important information clearer and easier to access.

The home had safeguarding policies and procedures and all of the staff had received training about recognising and reporting abuse.

The staff rota was displayed in the staff office and was written weekly to ensure that staff hours met people’s needs both in the house and for one to one support in the community.

The home implemented various methods of monitoring the quality of the service including daily checks, monthly audits, and satisfaction surveys. A monthly key worker summary was written for each of the people who lived at the home.

We spoke with a range of people about the home. They included the manager, staff and people who lived at the home. We also had responses from external agencies including social services. This helped us to gain a balanced overview of what people experienced living at 1 Newlands Drive.

We spoke with residents who were able to communicate with us. One person using sign language communicated through a member of staff. Another person had limited communication but also expressed their thoughts and feelings using body language and facial expressions.

Observations we made demonstrated people living there were relaxed and responded positively with staff members. We saw they liked to move around the home, use their rooms and other communal areas. There were no restrictions noted and staff were seen to encourage people to make choices about what they wanted to do during the day.

Comments from staff and residents were all positive and included,

“I love living here.”

“The people are kind and nice.”

“We all get along well, there are enough of us to spend quality time with the people who live here.”

We contacted the Wirral contracts monitoring team. They told us they currently had no concerns with the service being provided by the home.

Limited information was obtained from the 4 people living at the home due to communication difficulties. However, people said they like the staff and they got on well together. They said the staff are always available. They said the staff talk to them about how they are each day. One person said ‘I like living at Newlands’. Another person said ‘I can do what I want and the staff help me with things’. The relatives of people living at the home said their relative receives the care and support they need. One person said ‘Things are going very well and I am happy with the care provided'. Another person said ‘This is the best place my relative has lived in, she is very settled and very happy’. One health care professional said the staff are knowledgeable about her patients when they visit and have followed up recommendations for care. Another healthcare professional said staff always accompany people to appointments and take notes of any information she gives. She had no concerns to raise.

The relatives of people who live in the home said they are very happy with the way the home is managed. They spoke well of the manager and said she runs the home well. One person said she is always made to feel welcome and the home has a nice homely atmosphere.