A CARE home for adults with learning disabilities that was previously rated inadequate has turned things around with a "good" rating from the health watchdog.
Staff at Magellan House in East Grinstead have been praised for their “person-centred” approach in a new report by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), following an inspection on July 21.
In March this year the home was rated inadequate after “breaches of legal requirements were found”.
Concerns raised included “people were not always protected from abuse”, “leadership was not always transparent and open about incidents that had occurred, “staffing levels were consistently below what was required to keep people safe”.
During July’s inspection however, the team at the residential care home was commended for focusing on the strengths of young adults with learning disabilities to promote “a fulfilling and meaningful everyday life".
The report said: “Staff focused on people’s strengths and promoted what they could do.”
Inspectors praised the team for supporting its five residents “to have maximum choice and control of their lives” and that the people they care for are supported “in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests".
The report also highlighted the home’s sensory and relaxation area as providing “an opportunity for people to have a quiet space if they needed.”
James has lived at Magellan House since October 2018. The 29-year-old has autism and a learning disability, which means he needs support with many aspects of his daily life.
Elise Mitchell, team leader at the care home, said: “James loves sensory rich environments, so we created the sensory room as a space he, and others, can relax. It has sensory lights, which James loves, that react to the beat of the music he enjoys listening to.
“James likes to spend time in his bedroom, so the sensory room has been instrumental in encouraging him to be part of the house.
“When he is feeling overwhelmed James heads to the sensory room to listen to his music and calm down. He is now able to spend more time around people, which he struggled with due to his sensitivity to noise.
“Because James has built up his resilience to noise, he spends more time in communal areas of the house, building relationships with his peers. He eats meals with us at the dining table and participates more in our activities, such as baking and table top games.”
The care home has also recently had a recruitment drive to find different ways to bring in new colleagues.
Wellington Nyengerai, manager at Magellan House, said a new benefits package which gives staff support such as a private GP and mental health counselling has resulted in the recruitment of “some outstanding people”.
“We take the time to get to know the people we support and to understand what they like and what is important to them, using that information we implement smart goals,” he said.
“For example, supporting an individual to make their own breakfast, something which we all take for granted, but it is incredibly fulfilling if that person has never been able to do it without support.
“One of the people we support loves apples, and we just happen to have an apple tree in our garden, so we have taught him how to make apple crumble. It’s still a work in progress but there’s lots of improvement, and enjoyment in the practice.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here