Sandgate Manor

Sandgate Manor provides care and support for up to 22 individuals, many of whom have learning disabilities, autism, or physical disabilities. This report details findings from a recent inspection and highlights areas where improvements have been made since the previous assessment. The aim is to offer families a clear overview of the service's current performance.

On safety, the service has made progress in areas like safeguarding and recruitment processes, ensuring staff are now properly vetted. However, concerns remain regarding the clarity and completeness of care plans, particularly for individuals with complex needs or those at risk of self-harm. While medication administration is generally safe, improvements are needed in matching records and conducting regular audits to ensure residents can manage their own medicines safely. Infection control measures are generally well-managed, with staff using PPE effectively and premises maintained to a good standard.

In terms of how effective the care is, Sandgate Manor has been working to address issues related to assessing individual needs. While some progress has been made, there are still gaps in assessing equality and diversity needs, such as culture and religion, and specific sensory stimulation needs for individuals with autism. Some facilities also remain inaccessible for those using wheelchairs.

Regarding how caring the service is, staff interactions with residents have improved, with positive engagement observed. Staff have received training on abuse awareness and feel confident in reporting concerns. However, care plans are not always up-to-date, which can affect the tailored support provided. While end-of-life care training has been completed, the planning for this aspect of care requires further review.

In terms of being responsive, the service has improved in how it handles complaints, with investigations and actions taken. Staff are supported to access specialist health and social care in the community, and communication methods are generally tailored to individual needs. However, the process for supporting residents to achieve their personal aspirations and goals needs to be formally reviewed and implemented.

Concerning how well-led the service is, a new management team is in place and actively implementing improvements. Communication has improved with the office moving into the main building, providing better oversight. Staff training is being enhanced, with further learning opportunities arranged. However, some incidents are not always thoroughly investigated to ensure all necessary actions are taken, and there's a need for more robust systems to track and learn from these events.