Working at Shepherds Corner

Staff were trained to safeguard people from abuse. They knew how to recognise signs that a person may be at risk... Our checks of stocks and balances of medicines and records showed people consistently received the medicines prescribed to them.

Staff were motivated to provide high quality care and support. They were supported by the provider to review and continuously improve their working practices. A staff member told us, 'I know people well. I really enjoy my job….we are taught to be people focused, communicate with people and promote their independence.'

There were enough staff to meet people's needs. Staff on each shift were trained to deal with emergency situations and events if these should arise.

Staff received relevant training to help them meet the range of people's needs. This included refresher training to help staff keep up to date with current practice. Staff also undertook specialist training to support people with their healthcare conditions such as epilepsy and diabetes.

The registered manager encouraged people, their representatives and staff to have their say about how the service could improve. They used this feedback along with other checks, to monitor, review and improve the quality and safety of the support provided.

Each person had a timetable of activities that reflected their specific choices and preferences for how they wished to spend their time every day. This ranged from taking part in group based activities such as arts and crafts sessions and outings in the community, to one to one activities such as going shopping or for lunch or undertaking physical activities such as cycling with staff's support.