Maxie Richards Foundation Housing Support Service Kings Court Smiddy Brae Kames Tighnabruaich PA21 2BH Telephone: 01700 811137 Type of inspection: Unannounced Inspection completed on: 25 July 2016 Service provided by: The Maxie Richards Foundation Service provider number: SP2004005428 Care service number: CS2003054045
About the service The Maxie Richards Foundation Tighnabruich service (Kings Court) provides a Housing Support Service for five males who are recovering from drug and alcohol addiction. The service's aims and objectives state "The Maxie Richards Foundation responsible for the Kings Court is a faith based organisation. Its roots and identity derive from its Christian ethos". Support staff 'live in' on a rota basis and are available to clients during the day and on call at night. What people told us For this inspection, we received views from all four people using the service at the time of our visit. Everyone we spoke with confirmed how happy they were with the quality of the service. People spoke highly about the staff that supported them and all respondents said that staff treated them with respect. Service users commented that they felt at ease with the staff team as they have all experienced similar situations in their own lives therefore have a very good understanding of what they are currently going through. Those using the service also commented on how they are encouraged to make their feelings and opinions known Self assessment We did not receive a self-assessment from the provider. Issues relating to quality assurance, acting on feedback from people using the service and the quality of the service's improvement plan are considered below. From this inspection we graded this service as: Quality of care and support Quality of staffing Quality of management and leadership 5 - Very Good not assessed 5 - Very Good What the service does well Staff within the service were very good at identifying with the needs and experiences of individual service users, as they were open about their having went through similar situations before in their own lives. As such, they are in a unique situation where they can support individuals according to their own needs, whilst also being aware of what has worked for themselves in the past and what support strategies they know to be effective in any given situation. The staff, however, were also aware of the fact that each individual has their own personal set of circumstances. The team have become very adept at ensuring that individual opinions and requirements are sought and work done to ensure that these are respected and nurtured. page 2 of 6
Support plans examined during the inspection included documents such as service agreements and the drug and alcohol outcomes star. We could see that the plans had been developed in conjunction with those using the service, including their own planned targets and objectives. The recovery star paperwork outlined the progress made by each individual while also highlighting the work done by the staff to ensure that service users kept focus on their goals and didn't try and achieve too much too soon within the programme of work set out by the service. Reviews of individual care packages take place at regular intervals and are inclusive of a range of professional involvement including advocates, local authority personnel, experts on housing and specialist drug and alcohol workers. Those in receipt of support are at the centre of all the work done within the service. Regular service user meetings allow them to come together and discuss issues affecting their everyday lives and their individual and collective recovery journeys. The Maxie Richards Foundation is driven forward effectively on a day-to-day basis by the local service manager, supported ably by a board of directors, who maintain regular contact with all in the service. Communication between staff and service users observed during our visit was excellent. The service uses a number of methods of ensuring the flow of information between groups is smooth and up to date including shift and handover reports. What the service could do better We discussed a number of areas in which the service could improve with the manager during our feedback meeting at the conclusion of our visit to the service. These included ensuring that care plans contain all contact data and support arrangements with external professionals who have developed a relationship with the service users and the service as a whole. Working in partnership with relevant agencies is a very important part of the recovery process embarked upon by all service users. It is therefore essential that the work done with these external bodies is documented within the support plans. The induction pack provided to each individual upon entering the service for the first time contains a number of possible, non-punitive measures which can be placed upon a service users for failing to adhere to the guidelines of the service provision. We advised that the service should ensure agreement with these conditions and consequences is sought from each individual, confirming that they all are aware of the expectations placed upon them. We have asked that dates are set for the completion of actions decided within the outcomes star. We noted that a few remained blank or were noted to be 'on-going'. By setting concrete dates, the individual can track their own progress and ensure that they are challenging themselves to work through their individual program of recovery. We discussed the merits of introducing a formal system of observational monitoring within the service in order for the management to be able to chart the progress and quality of staff practice. By observing the staff working directly with service users in a variety of support scenarios, the management can highlight and celebrate good practice while also identifying areas for improvement to work upon. Service users can also be included in this process by being asked for their thoughts and opinions on how they have been affected by the service provided thus ensuring that they are involved in the development of the staff team. page 3 of 6
The service should ensure that attention is paid to their e-forms profile in order to work upon and submit documentation as required. No annual return or self assessment was received from the service this year. We discussed the importance of these documents with the manager during the inspection and have asked that they ensure that submissions are made on time and in full. Requirements Number of requirements: 0 Recommendations Number of recommendations: 0 Complaints There have been no complaints upheld since the last inspection. Details of any older upheld complaints are published at www.careinspectorate.com. Inspection and grading history Date Type Gradings 23 May 2014 Unannounced Care and support 5 - Very good 5 - Very good Management and leadership 5 - Very good 14 Nov 2011 Announced (short notice) Care and support 5 - Very good Management and leadership 5 - Very good 18 May 2010 Announced Care and support 5 - Very good 4 - Good Management and leadership 26 Sep 2008 Announced Care and support 4 - Good page 4 of 6
Date Type Gradings Management and leadership 4 - Good 4 - Good page 5 of 6
To find out more This inspection report is published by the Care Inspectorate. You can download this report and others from our website. Care services in Scotland cannot operate unless they are registered with the Care Inspectorate. We inspect, award grades and help services to improve. We also investigate complaints about care services and can take action when things aren't good enough. Please get in touch with us if you would like more information or have any concerns about a care service. You can also read more about our work online at www.careinspectorate.com Contact us Care Inspectorate Compass House 11 Riverside Drive Dundee DD1 4NY enquiries@careinspectorate.com 0345 600 9527 Find us on Facebook Twitter: @careinspect Other languages and formats This report is available in other languages and formats on request. Tha am foillseachadh seo ri fhaighinn ann an cruthannan is cànain eile ma nithear iarrtas. page 6 of 6