The Castings Hostel Housing Support Service 14 Castings Avenue Falkirk FK2 7BJ Telephone:

The Castings Hostel Housing Support Service 14 Castings Avenue Falkirk FK2 7BJ Telephone: 01324 501908 Inspected by: Patsy McDermott Type of inspection: Unannounced Inspection completed on: 26 February 2014

Contents Page No Summary 3 1 About the service we inspected 5 2 How we inspected this service 7 3 The inspection 11 4 Other information 22 5 Summary of grades 23 6 Inspection and grading history 23 Service provided by: Falkirk Council Service provider number: SP2004006884 Care service number: CS2004079904 Contact details for the inspector who inspected this service: Patsy McDermott Telephone 0131 653 4100 Email enquiries@careinspectorate.com The Castings Hostel, page 2 of 24

Summary This report and grades represent our assessment of the quality of the areas of performance which were examined during this inspection. Grades for this care service may change after this inspection following other regulatory activity. For example, if we have to take enforcement action to make the service improve, or if we investigate and agree with a complaint someone makes about the service. We gave the service these grades Quality of Care and Support 4 Good Quality of Staffing 4 Good Quality of Management and Leadership 4 Good What the service does well The service showed commitment and enthusiasm towards the improvement agenda. The quality of the staff team was a major strength within the service. What the service could do better We found that the service needed to develop the formal recording of risk assessment and risk reduction measures within the personal plans. What the service has done since the last inspection Since the last inspection, the service had undergone a major refurbishment in all parts of the building, which involved service users and staff being moved temporarily to other locations. This had affected the quality of the service provided which the management team were very aware of. As the disruption was nearly at an end, they planned to ensure systems were in place to enhance the experience of the people using the service. Conclusion Overall, we found that the service provided a high standard of care and support against the Quality Statements considered during our inspection. The service should continue to build on strengths and take forward areas for improvement. The Castings Hostel, page 3 of 24

Who did this inspection Patsy McDermott Lay assessor: Not applicable. The Castings Hostel, page 4 of 24

1 About the service we inspected The Care Inspectorate regulates care services in Scotland. Prior to 1 April 2011, this function was carried out by the Care Commission. Information in relation to all care services is available on our website at www.scswis.com. This services was previously registered with the Care Commission and transferred its registration to the Care Inspectorate on 1 April 2011. Requirements and recommendations If we are concerned about some aspect of a service, or think it could do more to improve its service, we may make a recommendation or requirement. - A recommendation is a statement that sets out actions the care service provider should take to improve or develop the quality of the service but where failure to do so will not directly result in enforcement. - A requirement is a statement which sets out what is required of a care service to comply with the Public Services Reforms (Scotland) Act 2010 and Regulations or Orders made under the Act, or a condition of registration. Where there are breaches of the Regulations, Orders or conditions, a requirement must be made. Requirements are legally enforceable at the discretion of the Inspectorate. The Castings Hostel is a housing support service provided by Falkirk Council to homeless, single males. Service users are given temporary accommodation in the hostel and the support is provided on a short term basis until such times as they have moved into a longer term tenancy. The support is aimed at assisting with the practicalities of moving and developing necessary skills in order that the homeless persons sustain their tenancies in the longer term. The premises from which the service operates is owned and maintained by Falkirk Council and is situated close to the town centre. The Castings Hostel, page 5 of 24

Based on the findings of this inspection this service has been awarded the following grades: Quality of Care and Support - Grade 4 - Good Quality of Staffing - Grade 4 - Good Quality of Management and Leadership - Grade 4 - Good This report and grades represent our assessment of the quality of the areas of performance which were examined during this inspection. Grades for this care service may change following other regulatory activity. You can find the most up-to-date grades for this service by visiting our website www.careinspectorate.com or by calling us on 0845 600 9527 or visiting one of our offices. The Castings Hostel, page 6 of 24

2 How we inspected this service The level of inspection we carried out In this service we carried out a low intensity inspection. We carry out these inspections when we are satisfied that services are working hard to provide consistently high standards of care. What we did during the inspection The inspection was carried out by Inspector Patsy McDermott. The unannounced inspection took place on 24 and 26 February 2014. The inspection process included an office visit to examine records and other documentation. A second visit on 26 February 2014 enabled the inspection officer to speak with people using the service and staff and to give some feedback to the management. During the inspection, evidence sampled included: Policy and procedures Staff files including training records Accident and incident records Complaint documentation Service user and staff questionnaires Recording formats used for quality assurance processes Action plan for the service Meeting minutes including review and team meeting minutes 'Personal plans' Discussion took place with the following people: Supported Accommodation Coordinator Assistant Supported Accommodation Coordinators Support staff People using the service Grading the service against quality themes and statements We inspect and grade elements of care that we call 'quality themes'. For example, one of the quality themes we might look at is 'Quality of care and support'. Under each quality theme are 'quality statements' which describe what a service should be doing well for that theme. We grade how the service performs against the quality themes and statements. Details of what we found are in Section 3: The inspection The Castings Hostel, page 7 of 24

Inspection Focus Areas (IFAs) Inspection report continued In any year we may decide on specific aspects of care to focus on during our inspections. These are extra checks we make on top of all the normal ones we make during inspection. We do this to gather information about the quality of these aspects of care on a national basis. Where we have examined an inspection focus area we will clearly identify it under the relevant quality statement. Fire safety issues We do not regulate fire safety. Local fire and rescue services are responsible for checking services. However, where significant fire safety issues become apparent, we will alert the relevant fire and rescue services so they may consider what action to take. You can find out more about care services' responsibilities for fire safety at www.firelawscotland.org The Castings Hostel, page 8 of 24

What the service has done to meet any recommendations we made at our last inspection There was one recommendation made at the last inspection which has been continued. The annual return Every year all care services must complete an 'annual return' form to make sure the information we hold is up to date. We also use annual returns to decide how we will inspect the service. Annual Return Received: Yes - Electronic Comments on Self Assessment Every year all care services must complete a 'self assessment' form telling us how their service is performing. We check to make sure this assessment is accurate. The service submitted a fully completed self assessment document to us before we carried out our inspection. The service told us what they thought they did well, some areas for improvement and how they planned to take these forward. The sources of evidence given by the service provided a useful starting point for our inspection. The service should continue to develop self assessment to link specific inputs and outputs to outcomes for people. They could give some examples of the changes that have been made, over time, as a result of service users' involvement and participation. The Castings Hostel, page 9 of 24

Taking the views of people using the care service into account To gather the views of people using the service we provided 15 care standard questionnaires to the service and asked that they be distributed to people using the service. We received three completed questionnaires at the point of inspection. Comments included "Staff at the Castings Hostel are very supportive and caring to service users." We met with a group of eight people that used the service. In the main people said they felt supported by staff who were focussed on linking them to the services they needed and helping them through this process. Some comments included: "It's better than a close." "If you need staff they are there for you." "The manager will always find a solution." Some of the group felt that it would be good to have visitors at any time. We saw that the management, who had sent a survey to service users and staff, had carefully considered this suggestion. However, after a trial period it was not thought to be possible due to the short term nature of the tenancies. Taking carers' views into account We were unable to gather the views of relatives. The Castings Hostel, page 10 of 24

3 The inspection We looked at how the service performs against the following quality themes and statements. Here are the details of what we found. Quality Theme 1: Quality of Care and Support Grade awarded for this theme: 4 - Good Statement 1 We ensure that service users and carers participate in assessing and improving the quality of the care and support provided by the service. Service strengths The service's self assessment told us about most of the ways they supported people to participate in assessing and improving quality. When asked to grade themselves on this statement, the service told us they were very good in this area. The service identified some of their strengths as: "The residents who use this service have regular and planned meetings with their Key Worker. This allows opportunities to discuss and plan the aims, objectives and goals of the resident's care plan. Residents also have the opportunity to participate in the monthly unit Management meetings and are encouraged to complete questionnaires to discuss ideas or areas of concern. Information gathered through residents meetings and questionnaires, feedback forms and the Residents suggestion box are given due consideration and where appropriate are incorporated into the service." We sampled some of the evidence provided, looked at the information in the self assessment and found that the service had a good level of performance. These strengths had a positive impact on people using the service. We found a variety of ways that people using the service were involved in assessing the quality of the service. Examples included the development of newsletters, involvement in staff recruitment and opportunities to complete surveys giving feedback about the service. The Castings Hostel, page 11 of 24

We saw how the service used feedback from people to improve the service. For example, the service had developed a 'Residents Participation Programme'. This involved a number other services such as optician, Wellman Clinic and Welfare Benefits Service visiting the site to offer specialist advice and support. We also saw that social events were held on a Sunday. The service used surveys to get feedback on each event and plan future activities. We felt this approach demonstrated the services willingness to listen to the people using the service. The evidence we saw and the discussions we had with service users confirmed that they felt confident to make decisions when they can which promoted a feeling of control and empowerment. This approach was seen consistently across the service. Service users we spoke with all confirmed that they make choices and decisions about their lives. Areas for improvement In the self assessment submitted by the service the manager had identified the following areas for improvement: "The re-introduction of a more stable residents participation group will further enhance the input from residents into the service. During the year 2013 various social events have been undertaken with resident feedback taken into account in order to develop a new meaningful activity programme with input from residents." The service should build in a process of consultation with people regarding involvement and participation. For example, the participation strategy was being developed to demonstrate how the service would involve residents in the future. Plans included the resident's committee meetings being facilitated by the Housing Support Service. Opportunities for people using the service to meet on a regular basis were available however; attendance at some of the arranged meetings was limited. It was hoped that the new format of the meetings would help to improve attendance and participation. Grade awarded for this statement: 4 - Good Number of requirements: 0 Number of recommendations: 0 The Castings Hostel, page 12 of 24

Statement 3 We ensure that service users' health and wellbeing needs are met. Service strengths Inspection report continued The service's self assessment told us about most of the ways they supported people to participate in assessing and improving quality. When asked to grade themselves on this statement, the service told us they were very good in this area. The service identified some of their strengths as: "The residents who use this service have regular and planned meetings with their Key Worker. This allows opportunities to discuss and plan the aims objectives and goals of the resident's care plan. Residents also have the opportunity to participate in the monthly unit Management meetings and are encouraged to complete questionnaires to discuss ideas or areas of concern." During the inspection we examined some of the evidence presented, information from the self assessment and observed practice that confirmed the service was working at a very good standard in promoting the health and wellbeing needs of service users. We found that each person using the service had a personal plan that contained information about their health, welfare and safety needs. The personal plans contained detail that included how each person would be supported to move towards maintaining their own tenancy. We found that people were involved in agreeing their health and wellbeing support needs with the service through a process of consultation. Links with external agencies ensured that people using the service were supported with all aspects of their lives. For example advice and education in healthy eating on a low budget, referrals to external agencies and support and advice about drugs and alcohol misuse. Links with NHS enabled people to take part in positive health initiatives to encourage healthy lifestyle choices. We found that staff were trained to enable them to understand the range of health and wellbeing needs of the people they supported and to give them advice promoting healthy lifestyle choices. The service had a wide range of policies, procedures, and protocols in place to guide staff in how to best meet individual health and wellbeing needs. The Castings Hostel, page 13 of 24

We found some evidence to confirm that staff within the service were using a range of guidelines issued by health professionals that promoted and improved health and welfare. The types of support offered by the service focussed on practical tasks that supported people to maintain their tenancies and live as independently and safely as possible. This included managing budgets, paying bills, completing household tasks and shopping. Service users told us this type of support was very helpful and they could keep on top of things and look after themselves better. Areas for improvement In the self assessment submitted by the service the manager had identified the following areas for improvement: Although the service had a range of risk reduction measures, which were discussed at each handover, we felt this should be more formally recorded in the support plan for each tenant. The recommendation made at the last inspection will be continued. (See recommendation 1) Grade awarded for this statement: 5 - Very Good Number of requirements: 0 Number of recommendations: 1 Recommendations 1. The service should develop the risk assessment process to ensure that the detail identifies how risk will be minimised to protect the health, welfare and safety of service users. The Castings Hostel, page 14 of 24

Quality Theme 3: Quality of Staffing Grade awarded for this theme: 4 - Good Statement 1 We ensure that service users and carers participate in assessing and improving the quality of staffing in the service. Service strengths The service's self assessment told us about most of the ways they supported people to participate in assessing and improving quality. When asked to grade themselves on this statement, the service told us they were very good in this area. The service identified some of their strengths as: "Falkirk Council's recruitment and selection process ensures that all co-ordinators at the Castings involved in the recruitment process have undergone relevant training to ensure the most appropriate candidate is selected and the entire recruitment process is transparent and open to scrutiny. We have in conjunction with our residents participation group had direct input from residents during a recruitment programme including setting the questions for the interviews, residents conducting tours of the accommodation with candidates and written feedback from them once they had interviewed the candidates themselves. Residents are issued with quality assurance questionnaires and have monthly residents meetings with co-ordinators at which they can discuss any staffing issues." The range of methods highlighted in this report in Quality Theme 1, Statement 1, Service Strengths are also relevant to how service users and carers can participate in assessing and improving the quality of staffing in the service. Service users are offered opportunities to be involved in recruitment and selection procedures for new staff. The service encouraged people to express their views about the staff that support them through the various opportunities described in Quality Theme 1, statement 1. The Castings Hostel, page 15 of 24

Areas for improvement In the self assessment submitted by the service the manager had identified the following areas for improvement. "Residents are actively encourage to highlight areas that they consider would be beneficial in the development of staff knowledge or service provision. This is achieved by one -to one dialogue with Co-ordinators, questionnaires and Resident and Flat meetings." The service should continue to develop ways of involving service users and staff in assessing and improving the quality of staffing and being involved in the recruitment processes. Established and new ways of working should clearly show how service users and staff influence improvement. They should be kept informed about any changes made as a result. Grade awarded for this statement: 4 - Good Number of requirements: 0 Number of recommendations: 0 The Castings Hostel, page 16 of 24

Statement 3 We have a professional, trained and motivated workforce which operates to National Care Standards, legislation and best practice. Service strengths Inspection report continued The service identified some of their strengths as: "All staff are recruited through Falkirk Council's recruitment and selection Policy (March 2003). All staff participate in the their annual personal development scheme to identify any training needs or issues. All staff have attended a range of training (internal and external) in order to develop and implement a new annual staff training programme. All staff receive regular bi-monthly supervision and are encourage to attend weekly staff meetings. After any serious incidents at the service staff are de-briefed by using the method of reflective practice for any future incidents." We looked at staff files and spoke to staff and service users about the quality of the staff. The evidence provided in the self assessment as well as the information provided the during the visits was very informative and identified a good level of performance in relation to this statement. We saw that the service had a robust recruitment procedure in place and all appropriate checks were in place to protect service users. Access to training and continual learning was supported by a process of supervision and appraisal and regular team meetings. Staff commented that they felt supported by their line management and found supervision to be positive experience. We felt staff showed a high level of motivation in putting their learning into practice and keen to share their learning with others This had proved to be beneficial in establishing effective and consistent care and improving outcomes for the service users. Staff took part in a comprehensive induction training programme that covered a range of highly relevant topics including; Values, Person Centred Care and Health and Safety practices. New staff then shadowed experienced staff until they were confident in role. We found that the programme of mandatory training and other relevant training opportunities supported staff with their personal learning and development. This resulted in staff having the skills, knowledge and understanding to deliver care and support that met individual need. The Castings Hostel, page 17 of 24

Where there had been significant events, staff were involved in a de-brief with managers providing support and opportunities for reflecting on practice and identifying learning from specific situations. It was evident that staff had developed positive relationships with people they supported and applied good principles of care in their practice. Areas for improvement In the self assessment submitted by the service the manager had identified the following areas for improvement. "Using information gained this year a new annual staff training programme to be implemented next year. The new employee induction process to be reviewed and implemented in 2014." The service had begun the process of exploring how reflective practice could be used by staff to improve the quality of care and support being delivered. Individual staff need to give consideration to how they can evidence their Continuing Professional Development (CPD) in preparation for registration with Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC). Due to the recent building work experienced by the service, we saw that not all supervisions or staff meetings had been held as regularly as necessary. The management team were aware of these problems which were related to rooms not being available or staff working in other locations. However, we felt it was important that these processes were regularly re-instated to provide staff with the support they required to offer a good quality service to the people using the service. This is identified as an area for development. Grade awarded for this statement: 4 - Good Number of requirements: 0 Number of recommendations: 0 The Castings Hostel, page 18 of 24

Quality Theme 4: Quality of Management and Leadership Grade awarded for this theme: 4 - Good Statement 1 We ensure that service users and carers participate in assessing and improving the quality of the management and leadership of the service. Service strengths The service's self assessment told us about most of the ways they supported people to participate in assessing and improving quality. When asked to grade themselves on this statement, the service told us they were very good in this area. The service identified some of their strengths as: "Residents meetings are all minuted with all residents encouraged to discuss points further on a one to one basis and receive a copy of the minutes. We conduct regular quality assurance questionnaires with residents asked for feedback and in addition a structured tenants participation group to work independently on participating in improving the leadership of the service." The range of methods highlighted in this report in Quality Themes 1 & 3, Statement's 1, Service Strengths are also relevant to how service users and staff can participate in assessing and improving the quality of the management and leadership of the service. Areas for improvement In the self assessment submitted by the service the manager had identified the following areas for improvement: "A further review and consultation with residents on a new structure for the residents participation group to be held with a focus on how to set up a more sustained working group. All residents can independently make a complaint directly to the Care Inspectorate or to Falkirk Council." The service should consider the areas for improvement highlighted in Quality Theme 1 & 3, statement 1. Grade awarded for this statement: 4 - Good Number of requirements: 0 Number of recommendations: 0 The Castings Hostel, page 19 of 24

Statement 4 We use quality assurance systems and processes which involve service users, carers, staff and stakeholders to assess the quality of service we provide Service strengths Inspection report continued The service's self assessment told us about most of the ways they supported people to participate in assessing and improving quality. When asked to grade themselves on this statement, the service told us they were very good in this area. The service identified some of their strengths as: "At Castings we use methods such as questionnaires, residents meetings, staff meetings in conjunction with working in partnership with external agencies (Police, addiction services etc.) to assess the quality of the service that we provide. A new residents and staff database has been developed and implemented to ensure up to date and accurate information recording is carried out in relation to performance." We examined a wide range of documentation and policies to confirm that the service is using an inclusive approach in shared quality assurance systems. For example, service users meet on a monthly basis with senior support workers to discuss the support they receive and make suggestions or raise concerns. We found that the service was performing at a good level in this statement. During the inspection, we saw that the service had systems and procedures in place that ensured service users' needs were being met. This included regular checks of support plans by the senior staff, collation of feedback, review of any complaints, accidents or incidents and ensuring staff supervision was up to date. The introduction of 'spot checks' being carried out on a regular basis had proved to be a successful monitoring tool for senior staff. In particular, they were able to observe practice which was then discussed in supervision. This gave the manager a clear indication of the standard of service delivery and ensured this remained consistent. Six monthly reviews that ensured the care and support being delivered continued to meet the persons' individual need and that details in the personal plan are current. We found a range of systems such as audits that enabled the management team to monitor and review the service being delivered. The complaints process was clearly displayed and service users spoken with confirmed they were aware of how to make a complaint. The Castings Hostel, page 20 of 24

Overall, we found that the service used a range of quality assurance systems and processes. These contributed to the self assessment of the service, helped them to monitor the quality of care and to plan improvements. Areas for improvement In the self assessment submitted by the service the manager had identified the following areas for improvement: "We will continue to monitor all quality assurance systems. In addition, we continue to develop our new user friendly questionnaires and to facilitate the re-establishment of the resident's participation group." To reach a level of continued quality assurance that involves people using the service, staff and other stakeholders, the service needs to further develop the strategies in place. Continued quality assurance of the service will lead to improved care and support being delivered to people. Grade awarded for this statement: 4 - Good Number of requirements: 0 Number of recommendations: 0 The Castings Hostel, page 21 of 24

4 Other information Complaints No complaints have been upheld, or partially upheld, since the last inspection. Enforcements We have taken no enforcement action against this care service since the last inspection. Additional Information No additional information noted. Action Plan Failure to submit an appropriate action plan within the required timescale, including any agreed extension, where requirements and recommendations have been made, will result in the Care Inspectorate re-grading a Quality Statement within the Quality of Management and Leadership Theme (or for childminders, Quality of Staffing Theme) as unsatisfactory (1). This will result in the Quality Theme being re-graded as unsatisfactory (1). The Castings Hostel, page 22 of 24

5 Summary of grades Quality of Care and Support - 4 - Good Statement 1 Statement 3 4 - Good 5 - Very Good Quality of Staffing - 4 - Good Statement 1 Statement 3 4 - Good 4 - Good Quality of Management and Leadership - 4 - Good Statement 1 Statement 4 4 - Good 4 - Good 6 Inspection and grading history Date Type Gradings 24 Dec 2012 Unannounced Care and support 5 - Very Good Staffing 5 - Very Good Management and Leadership 4 - Good 5 Mar 2010 Announced Care and support 5 - Very Good Staffing 5 - Very Good Management and Leadership Not Assessed 5 Feb 2009 Care and support 4 - Good Staffing 4 - Good Management and Leadership 4 - Good All inspections and grades before 1 April 2011 are those reported by the former regulator of care services, the Care Commission. The Castings Hostel, page 23 of 24

To find out more about our inspections and inspection reports Read our leaflet 'How we inspect'. You can download it from our website or ask us to send you a copy by telephoning us on 0845 600 9527. This inspection report is published by the Care Inspectorate. You can get more copies of this report and others by downloading it from our website: www.careinspectorate.com or by telephoning 0845 600 9527. Translations and alternative formats This inspection report is available in other languages and formats on request. Telephone: 0845 600 9527 Email: enquiries@careinspectorate.com Web: www.careinspectorate.com The Castings Hostel, page 24 of 24