About the service: Springfield is a development of ten properties located in a residential area in Bromley, Kent. It compromises of a large main building with six flats and four bungalows in the external grounds. The service is a registered care home offering care and support for up to eleven physically disabled adults who want to live as independently as possible. People have varying levels of need and support is available 24 hours. The focus of the service is on encouraging people's independence, well- being and involvement in their community. At the time of our inspection eleven people were using the service.

People’s experience of using this service:

¿ The service applied the values and principles of CQC guidance ‘Registering the Right Support’ (RRS). People were enabled to make choices about their lives and were supported to be as independent as possible. RRS guidance works to ensure that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes including control, choice and independence.

¿ People spoke positively about the service and said staff were caring and supportive. They told us they felt safe and their needs were very well met.

¿ Throughout our inspection we observed staff interacted with people, had good relationship’s and rapport with individuals and staff were kind and caring in their approach.

¿ The service had safeguarding and whistleblowing policies and procedures in place and staff had a clear understanding of these procedures and how to keep people safe.

¿ People's needs and preferences were assessed and where risks were identified, plans were in place to manage risks safely in the least restrictive way possible.

¿ There were safe arrangements in place to manage medicines and staff followed appropriate infection control practices to prevent the spread of infections.

¿ Appropriate recruitment checks took place before staff started work.

¿ There was sufficient staff available to meet people's needs promptly and to ensure they could go out with support when they wanted to.

¿ Staff had the skills, knowledge and experience to support people appropriately. Staff were appropriately supported through induction, training and regular supervision.

¿ People were supported to maintain a healthy balanced diet.

¿ 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 support this practice.

¿ People told us staff treated them in a kind, caring and respectful manner.

¿ People were fully involved in and consulted about their care and support needs.

¿ People had access to health and social care professionals as required.

¿ People were supported to access community service and to participate in activities of their choosing that met their needs.

¿ Staff worked with people to promote their rights and understood the Equality Act 2010 supporting people appropriately addressing any protected characteristics.

¿ There were systems in place to assess and monitor the quality of the service.

¿ The service worked in partnership with health and social care professionals and other organisations to plan and deliver an effective service.

¿ The service took people, their relatives and staff’s views into account through surveys and informal feedback to help drive service improvements.

Rating at last inspection: Good (Report was published on 6 September 2016).

Why we inspected: This was a planned inspection based on the rating at the last inspection. We found the service continued to meet the characteristics of Good in all areas.

Follow up: We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit in line with our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received we may inspect the service sooner.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the website at www.cqc.org.uk

This inspection took place on 3 August 2016 and was unannounced. At the last inspection of the service on 7 May 2013 we had found the service was meeting all the regulations we looked at.

Springfield - Care Home Physical Disabilities provides accommodation and personal care support for up to 11 adults with physical disability needs in their own self-contained apartments within a specially designed environment. At the time of our inspection the service was providing care and support to nine people. There was a registered manager in post. 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.

Risks to the health and safety of people using the service were identified, assessed and reviewed in line with the provider's policy. Medicines were managed, administered and stored safely. There were arrangements in place to deal with foreseeable emergencies. There were safeguarding adult’s policies and procedures in place to protect people from possible abuse and harm. Accidents and incidents involving people using the service were recorded and acted on appropriately. There were safe staff recruitment practices in place and appropriate numbers of staff to meet people’s needs.

There were processes in place to ensure staff new to the home were inducted into the service appropriately. Staff received training that enabled them to fulfil their roles effectively and meet people’s needs. There were systems in place which ensured the service complied with the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA 2005). This provides protection for people who do not have capacity to make decisions for themselves. People’s nutritional needs and preferences were met and people had access to health and social care professionals when required.

People were treated with dignity and respect and were consulted about their care and support needs. Staff respected people’s dignity and privacy. People were supported to maintain relationships with relatives and friends and we observed that people were also supported to access community services. People’s support, care needs and risks were identified, assessed and documented within their care plan. People were provided with information on how to make a complaint.

There were systems and processes in place to monitor and evaluate the service provided. There was a registered manager in post at the time of our inspection and they were knowledgeable about the requirements of a registered manager and their responsibilities with regard to the Health and Social Care Act 2014. People’s views about the service were sought and considered through service user meetings and satisfaction surveys.

People who use the service told us that they were happy living at Springfield. People told us that they were encouraged to maintain their independence and that they cooked, cleaned and washed their own clothes. One person told us “I enjoy the freedom, because I am able to do what I like and when I like”. People told us that they were involved in their care plan reviews and their consent was sought in regards to the care and support that they received. People told us that they knew how to make a complaint if they were unhappy about the service.

We found the provider had arrangements in place for obtaining and acting in accordance with consent from people who use the service. People were involved in planning the care and support that they received. Staff were aware of their responsibility to prevent and report any form of abuse. Support was in place to ensure that staff received adequate supervision and training. We found that people’s care plans, staff records and other records relevant to the management of the services were accurate and fit for purpose.

Three people we spoke with who used the service said they had been asked by the staff at Springfield Care Home about the support they needed and that the staff included them when making changes to care plans. However they said that they were not always invited to formally attend review meetings and most said they would like to attend these review meetings.

People told us the staff were very supportive and one said: “The staff are excellent and always come quickly when I call for their assistance”. They said they knew there was a care plan for them and they had a copy in their flat.

People who used the service told us that staff were respectful, and they felt safe when being supported. They said that they were very happy at the home, and that monthly residents meetings were conducted without management or staff presence, leaving residents feeling more enabled to discuss issues amongst themselves and to afterwards ask for any help needed from staff or the manager.

People who lived at the home said there were lots of opportunities to do activities they liked.

People told us they received care in the way they preferred and decided their own daily routines, including when they got up, went to bed, washed, what they did during the day and what and when they ate. They told us that if they needed support, they knew they would usually get it and that they had a say in who supports them. Staff were available to help them with daily chores, such as shopping, cleaning their flats and doing their own laundry. Their privacy was respected, and their rights supported by staff.

People were happy with the standard and size of their living accommodation, the décor and safety of the premises. They participated in activities if they wanted to and staff usually supported them to do so; their personal interests, aspirations and relationships were encouraged. One person said that coming to Springfield was the best move he could have made and that the home was a model for care services.

People were registered with general practices and dentists, and saw opticians, chiropodists (private and NHS), community nurses and dieticians where this was required. Most people at Springfield self-medicated safely, with prompting and assistance from staff.

People we spoke to at this visit told us that they felt they could speak out, and raise suggestions and concerns with staff, and they felt the service had got better at responding to these. Resident meetings are held, to which staff may be invited, to discuss issues relating to the quality of the service provision. People said they had raised concerns about the use of agency staff at the home, and the home had responded and recruited more regular and permanent staff.