This inspection of Rockfield house took place on 24 March 2017 and was unannounced.

Rockfield House is registered to provide care and support for up to 14 adults with a learning disability. Bedrooms are spacious with en-suite facilities and the home also has two separate bathrooms which are equipped to help people with their mobility.

The home is close to local shops and other amenities and there are direct bus routes into Liverpool city centre. Parking facilities are available at the front of the home.

At the last inspection in October 2014, the service was rated Good. At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

The deputy manager had systems in place to ensure that staff were recruited safely and checks were carried out before they started working with vulnerable people. There was also a process to analyse incidents and accidents. Staff we spoke with knew what action to take in relation to reporting safeguarding and whistleblowing concerns. Rotas showed that there were enough staff on shift to support people with their needs. Risk assessments were robust and reviewed every month or when required. Medication processes were well managed.

Staff training was well managed and staff underwent regular supervision and yearly appraisal. Staff were trained in a range of subjects, however, we saw that not all staff were trained in MAPA, which we saw was essential to be able to support people who can display challenging behaviours. The manager has since contacted us to update us that most of the staff we identified have now been trained.

The service was adhering to the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and associated legislation, and any DoLS were kept under review and applied for in people’s best interests.

Everyone we spoke with, family members and people who lived at the home told us they liked the staff and they felt the staff cared about them. Staff we spoke with all told us they enjoyed their roles, and felt proud to be working at Rockfield House. Care plans were completed with the involvement of people and their families.

There was information stored in each person’s care file which was person centred and which took the needs, preferences and backgrounds of each person into account. Each person had a one page profile in place. Complaints were well managed. There was a complaint’s procedure on display in the main hallway, and everyone said they knew how to raise a complaint.

Quality assurance systems were effective and measured service provision. Regular audits were taking place for different aspects of service delivery by ‘heads of’ department. Regular action plans were drawn up when areas of improvement were identified. Staff and resident meetings regularly took place to seek the views of people who lived in the home.

Further information is in the detailed findings below

During our visit we spoke with four people that used the service and we observed people receiving care and support. We looked at the care files of six people that used the service. People told us they were happy living at the service. One person commented: “Rockfield House is a good place to live, people are happy here.” Another person told us: “The staff are nice to me.” A relative we spoke with described Rockfield House as: “Nothing less than an excellent service,” and staff were: “Very supportive and helpful.” During our visit we observed staff interacting with people in a warm and caring manner. The home environment was clean and tidy. The service had an appropriate policy and procedure in regards to cleanliness and infection control and we observed this being followed.

We spoke with four members of staff who held different roles within the service. Staff had a good understanding of the individual complex needs of the people who used the service and they were person centred in their approach. People were appropriately supported to make choices and decisions about their care. One person told us, “I choose what I get up to.” People that used the service and relatives described Rockfield House as a safe place to live. We saw good evidence of the service involving relatives and health and social care professionals in review meetings.

People told us their needs were met and they were happy with the care and support provided. Comments included: “The staff understand me and the support I need” and “I tell the staff if I am unhappy about something and they will help me.” Care records demonstrated that people’s needs had been assessed and appropriate plans were in place to meet identified support needs. We found evidence of care plans being reviewed regularly.

There was a staff training programme in place and staff said they felt well supported by the manager. Staff told us they enjoyed working at Rockfield House and that morale was good. We saw evidence of regular staff supervision and appraisal. Before staff began working in the service they undertook an appropriate induction programme.

We spoke with a range of people about the home. They included the manager, deputy 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 Rockfield House.

Rockfield House cares for people with a learning disability and challenging behaviour, therefore conversation with some residents was limited. We spent some time in the communal areas making observations of how people were being cared for. This helped us to observe the daily routines and gain an insight into how peoples care and support was being managed.

We observed staff assisting people who required care and support. Staff treated people with respect and provided support or attention on a one to one basis. One staff member said, “The one to one staff support is needed for some residents who present challenging behaviour.” One resident spoken with said, “I like the staff who help me there is always plenty around.”

Residents and staff we spoke with told us the home was kept clean and they were happy with the level of cleanliness maintained. We saw bedrooms of residents and were told residents and relatives were able to furnish them with their own belongings and possessions. One resident said, “I like my music pictures on the wall in my room.”

We spoke with Liverpool contracts monitoring team. They told us they had no concerns with the service.

People using the service told us that they are involved in all aspects of their care and treatment and that they have a care plan, which they helped put together. They told us that they know where their care plan is kept and that they can look at it whenever they want. People using the service told us that their care plans are regularly reviewed with their involvement and with others who are important to them such as their family, key workers and social workers.

People using the service told us that staff are good and that they treat them well and with respect. They told us about some of the activities which they are involved in at home and in the local community such as helping with domestic tasks around the home, shopping for food and personal items and going to college. People told us that staff help them to be independent and encourage them to do things for themselves.

People using the service told us that they like living at the home and that they feel safe there. They also told us that the staff are good and treat them well.

People using the service told us that they have been given information about what to do if they are worried about their care and treatment at the home.

People said they would tell the manager or other staff members if they were treated badly by anyone. They also said they would tell somebody if they saw any other person who uses the service being badly treated.

People told us that all the staff who work at the home are very good and they know what they are doing. We were also told that staff are respectful, good at listening, hard working and always helpful.

People using the service told us that they are involved in recruiting staff, one person told us about their experience of interviewing for new staff.

People using the service told us that they think there are always enough staff on duty to help them and other people who live there. People told us there is always a member of staff around when you need them.

People using the service told us that they feel safe in the hands of the staff that work at the home.

They also told us that staff know what they are doing and they think all the staff are properly trained.

People told us that they are confident that staff will deal with any incidents which occur at the home.

This inspection of Rockfield house took place on 24 March 2017 and was unannounced.

Rockfield House is registered to provide care and support for up to 14 adults with a learning disability. Bedrooms are spacious with en-suite facilities and the home also has two separate bathrooms which are equipped to help people with their mobility.

The home is close to local shops and other amenities and there are direct bus routes into Liverpool city centre. Parking facilities are available at the front of the home.

At the last inspection in October 2014, the service was rated Good. At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

The deputy manager had systems in place to ensure that staff were recruited safely and checks were carried out before they started working with vulnerable people. There was also a process to analyse incidents and accidents. Staff we spoke with knew what action to take in relation to reporting safeguarding and whistleblowing concerns. Rotas showed that there were enough staff on shift to support people with their needs. Risk assessments were robust and reviewed every month or when required. Medication processes were well managed.

Staff training was well managed and staff underwent regular supervision and yearly appraisal. Staff were trained in a range of subjects, however, we saw that not all staff were trained in MAPA, which we saw was essential to be able to support people who can display challenging behaviours. The manager has since contacted us to update us that most of the staff we identified have now been trained.

The service was adhering to the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and associated legislation, and any DoLS were kept under review and applied for in people’s best interests.

Everyone we spoke with, family members and people who lived at the home told us they liked the staff and they felt the staff cared about them. Staff we spoke with all told us they enjoyed their roles, and felt proud to be working at Rockfield House. Care plans were completed with the involvement of people and their families.

There was information stored in each person’s care file which was person centred and which took the needs, preferences and backgrounds of each person into account. Each person had a one page profile in place. Complaints were well managed. There was a complaint’s procedure on display in the main hallway, and everyone said they knew how to raise a complaint.

Quality assurance systems were effective and measured service provision. Regular audits were taking place for different aspects of service delivery by ‘heads of’ department. Regular action plans were drawn up when areas of improvement were identified. Staff and resident meetings regularly took place to seek the views of people who lived in the home.

Further information is in the detailed findings below