Connect House

People told us they felt safe. Staff understood their duty to protect people from abuse and knew how and when to report any concerns they had to managers. When concerns had been raised, managers reported these promptly to the relevant agencies and worked proactively with them, to make sure timely action was taken to safeguard people from further risk. However, people had not always been protected from harm. The technology system in place to alert staff for help when someone had a fall did not always work. The management team had put measures in place when this was identified. The staff team assessed and reviewed safety risks to people and made sure people were supported to stay safe. We received mixed feedback from people regarding staffing levels. While some people felt there were enough staff, some people stated care was task based to suit staff rather than focusing on people's individual needs. Managers reviewed staffing levels regularly to make sure there were always enough suitably skilled and experienced staff on duty. Staff received relevant training to meet the range of people’s needs at the service. Staff received support through supervision and appraisal to support their continuous learning and improve their working practice. Managers made sure recruitment checks were undertaken on all staff to ensure only those individuals that were deemed suitable and fit, would be employed to support people at the service.

People’s care needs were assessed using national tools to ensure people received care that was effective to their health, care and well-being needs. People’s care plans were kept up to date with any assessments completed in a timely manner. Mental capacity assessment had been completed when they deemed a person to lack capacity. However, they did not meet the key principles required to prove someone lacked capacity. People were not always involved in assessing their needs to ensure their rights were supported.

People felt staff treated them with kindness and their dignity was protected. People were encouraged and helped by staff to do as much as they could for themselves, to maintain their independence. We had not seen an improvement since our last visit, people continued to not be supported to have choice, control, and make decisions about how their support was provided. People were not supported to understand their rights and how the service would make sure these were respected. People’s friends and families were free to visit them with no restrictions.

People were not always supported to receive person centred care. People did not always feel they were receiving person-centred care. People told us they were not involved in their care planning. People were not always given the opportunity to spend their time where they wanted around the home.

Since our last CQC visit, a new management team was in place including a new registered manager. There were clear and effective governance, management, and accountability arrangements. Staff understood their role and responsibilities. Managers accounted for the actions, behaviours, and performance of staff. The management team had a consistent approach to learning and making improvements.