The Eadmund

Updated 21 March 2020

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

This inspection was carried out by a single inspector.

Service and service type

The Eadmund is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

This inspection site visit took place on 27 February 2020 and was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since our last inspection. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

During our inspection we spoke with two people using the service and following our inspection we spoke with two relatives by telephone to seek their feedback. People using the service had varying levels of communication and some people were unable to share their views and experiences, so we therefore used our Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experiences of people who could not talk with us. We spent time observing the support provided to people in communal areas, at meal times and the interactions between people and staff.

We met and spoke with the registered manager, deputy manager, senior support workers, support workers and the cook. We reviewed a range of records including three people’s care plans and records and three staff recruitment, training and supervision records. We also reviewed records used in managing the service for example, policies and procedures, monitoring records and minutes of meetings.

Updated 21 March 2020

About the service

The Eadmund is a residential care home that provides accommodation and personal care support for up to 15 adults who have a range of needs including physical and learning disabilities. The service also offers a short break respite service for informal carers. The home is two houses joined together allowing people to move freely around both houses. There are facilities and equipment in place for people who require physical support and a sensory room offering a quiet relaxing space for people. At the time of our inspection 11 people were using the service; this included one person who was on a short respite break.

The service has been developed and designed in line with the principles and values that underpin Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. This ensures that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes. The principles reflect the need for people with learning disabilities and/or autism to live meaningful lives that include control, choice, and independence. People using the service receive planned and co-ordinated person-centred support that is appropriate and inclusive for them.

The service was a large home, bigger than most domestic style properties. It is registered for the support of up to 15 people. This is larger than current best practice guidance. However, the size of the service having a negative impact on people was mitigated by the building design fitting into the residential area and the other large domestic homes of a similar size. There were deliberately no identifying signs, intercom, cameras or anything else outside to indicate it was a care home. Staff were also discouraged from wearing anything that suggested they were care staff when coming and going with people.

People’s experience of using this service

The outcomes for people using the service reflected the principles and values of Registering the Right Support by promoting choice and control, independence and inclusion. There was a strong visible person-centred culture within the staffing team, with staff ensuring people were treated equally and fairly. People and their relatives spoke positively about the care and support received. During our inspection we observed that staff interacted well with people and had built good respectful relationship’s and rapport with them.

Relatives told us their loved ones were safe and well supported. Safeguarding and whistleblowing policies and procedures were in place and staff were aware of how to keep people safe. People were protected from identified risks and plans were in place to manage risks safely in the least restrictive way. There were arrangements in place to manage medicines safely and staff followed appropriate infection control practices to prevent the spread of infections. Appropriate recruitment checks took place before staff started work. There were sufficient staff available to meet people's needs. Staff had the skills, knowledge and experience to support people appropriately. Staff were supported through induction, training and supervision.

People were supported to meet their nutritional needs and to maintain a balanced diet ensuring continued well-being. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service support this practice. The outcomes for people using the service reflected the principles and values of Registering the Right Support by promoting choice and control, independence and inclusion. The home environment was clean, homely and suitably adapted to meet the needs of the people living there, people had individualised rooms.

People and their relatives were involved and consulted about their care and support needs. People had access to health and social care professionals as required. People were supported to access community services and to participate in activities of their choosing that met their needs. Staff worked with people to promote their rights and understood the Equality Act 2010; supporting people appropriately addressing any protected characteristics. There were systems in place to assess, monitor and improve the quality of the service. Complaints were managed and responded to appropriately in line with the providers policy. The service worked in partnership with health and social care professionals to ensure appropriate support was provided to individuals.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection: Good (Published 3 August 2017).

Why we inspected: This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up: We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.