Len Ironside Centre Support Service Len Ironside Building Mastrick Drive Aberdeen AB16 6UE Telephone: 01224 681732 Type of inspection: Unannounced Inspection completed on: 29 January 2018 Service provided by: Aberdeen City Council Service provider number: SP2003000349 Care service number: CS2003000189
About the service The Len Ironside Centre is a new purpose built centre based in a residential area of Aberdeen city. It provides support during the day for adults. The aim of the centre is to "provide a high quality, good value, building based service for adults with learning and physical disabilities with associated health needs. The individuals we support are amongst the most vulnerable in our community and we provide a bespoke service that meets these needs, as well as supporting individuals to lead a fulfilling and accomplished life according to their wishes". The centre provides support for up to 80 adults, with most attending on a part-time basis. The service has been registered since April 2002. What people told us We spoke with service users, parents, and a visiting district nurse. We spoke with some at the centre and some via email or phone prior to visiting. All the parents and service users said they are very happy with the service, with comments such as: "We get an excellent service from Len Ironside Centre." "There are so many activities going on, it gives her a chance to take part in every-day living." "The centre has been well thought out, with service users in mind." "Attendees at the centre also have input into the activities available." The service users that we spoke to indicated that they enjoy the centre. One man told me that he "loves it, always busy"; another man gave me a 'thumbs up' when I asked if he enjoyed coming to the centre. Self assessment Because we didn't ask for one, 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 environment Quality of staffing Quality of management and leadership 5 - Very Good not assessed not assessed page 2 of 6
What the service does well This service recently successfully moved to a new building. The team planned for and coped with people's reactions and ideas on an individual basis. The service received good comments from everyone that we spoke with. People were clearly treated as individuals and we saw people relaxed and enjoying all aspects of their day. The layout of the centre was supportive to an individual and enabling service; staff exploited this fully. There was easy access throughout so people could go wherever they wanted, a choice of where to eat lunch, and bench seating in the corridors so people could rest or socialise. There were both small and large group activities on offer so people got different experiences. These aspects were deliberately planned to ensure as much independence and choice as possible. The centre was part of the wider community, people were enabled to do activities such as swimming, bowling, pub visit, walking and going to the library. There were regular large scale events like Stars in Their Eyes, a Christmas Beach Ballroom party, and a Halloween party. The service had volunteers involved in areas such as gardening, fund raising bingo nights, a knitting group and dancing. One way the centre celebrated achievements and good times was by using large activity boards. The displays were made up along with service users, with pictures and photos, objects and written comments to help everyone understand them. The staff team was quite settled with a rota and routines that provided good outcomes for all people in relation to the time spent in activities, time for personal care, flexibility and people knowing one another. A sample of support plans showed good guidelines for supporting people. mentioned by parents and evidenced in records. There were regular reviews, as was Co-location with the learning disability multi-disciplinary team is well used leading to situations being resolved more quickly for service users and with effective solutions. The management team used a rota to get maximum benefit for everyone. We saw staff, parents and service users made use of the open door policy in the office. All the parents that we spoke with said that the manager was very good, approachable and adaptable. The centre had been nominated for a Heart Award, the nomination said "the service is no longer an isolated care service, it is now a fully functioning integrated service with health and social care colleagues working together for the benefit of supported individuals". What the service could do better Some of the senior support workers had taken on roles over time and it would be beneficial for them to have specific, up-to-date training; one example being health and safety. This was discussed during the inspection and some courses had already been identified. A small number of staff discussed that they felt less supported than others, by the management team. Remembering that there was a relatively new manager and a new building, leading to a lot of changes, this might not be surprising. We discussed this at feedback and, as an area for improvement, the management page 3 of 6
team will consider how best to communicate important messages so that all staff feel as happy and supported as possible. Some of the service users expressed themselves with behaviours which can be challenging to others. Bearing in mind the responsibility to protect staff and service users, the management team should review how; the incident forms are used, what action is taken in relation to risk assessments and support guidelines, debriefing and guiding staff. (see recommendation 1) Requirements Number of requirements: 0 Recommendations Number of recommendations: 1 1. The management team should review use of incident forms, risk assessments, support guidelines, debriefing and guiding staff in relation to challenging behaviour. This relates to National Care Standards, Support Services, standard 2 and 10 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 18 Feb 2015 Unannounced Care and support 5 - Very good 5 - Very good Management and leadership 22 Jan 2014 Unannounced Care and support 5 - Very good 3 - Adequate 5 - Very good Management and leadership page 4 of 6
Date Type Gradings 21 Feb 2013 Unannounced Care and support 3 - Adequate Management and leadership 3 - Adequate 15 Dec 2010 Announced Care and support Not assessed Not assessed Management and leadership Not assessed 31 Mar 2010 Announced Care and support Not assessed Management and leadership 19 Nov 2008 Care and support Management and leadership 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