Background to this inspection
Updated
13 February 2019
The inspection: We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection checked whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.
Inspection team: A single inspector carried out this inspection.
Service and service type: This service is a care home. It provides care and support to people with learning disabilities and autism. The care service has been developed and designed in line with the values that underpin the Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These values include choice, promotion of independence and inclusion. People with learning disabilities and autism using the service can live as ordinary a life as any citizen.
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.
The inspection was unannounced. The site visit activity started and ended on 31 January 2019.
What we did: Before the inspection we looked at all the information we had about the service. This information included statutory notifications that the provider had sent to CQC. A notification is information about important events which the service is required to send us by law. We used information the provider sent us in the Provider Information Return. This is information we require providers to send us at least once annually to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We used this information to help inform our inspection planning.
During the inspection we looked at two people’s care files, staff recruitment and training records and records relating to the management of the home such as medicines, quality assurance audits and policies and procedures. We spoke with the registered manager and two staff members about how the home was being run and what it was like to work there.
People using the service had complex communication disabilities and were not able to communicate their views to us so we also used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a specific way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us. We also spoke with one person’s relative for their views on the service.
Updated
13 February 2019
About the service: Allswell Lodge is a care home that provides personal care and accommodation for up to five adults. People living at the service have range of complex needs including learning disabilities. At the time of this inspection five people were using the service.
People’s experience of using this service:
¿ The service had safeguarding policy and procedures in place and staff had a clear understanding of these procedures.
¿ Appropriate recruitment checks took place before staff started work and there was enough staff available to meet people’s care and support needs.
¿ Risks to people had been assessed and reviewed regularly to ensure people’s needs were safely met.
¿ People were receiving their medicines as prescribed by health care professionals.
¿ The home had procedures in place to reduce the risk of the spread of infections.
¿ Assessments of people’s care and support needs were carried out before they started using the service.
¿ Staff had received training and support relevant to people’s needs.
¿People were supported to maintain a balanced diet.
¿ People are 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.
¿ Staff treated people in a caring and respectful manner.
¿ People and their relatives [where required] had been consulted about their care and support needs.
¿ People were supported to participate in activities that met their needs.
¿No one living at the home required support with end of life care, however there were procedures in place to make sure people had access to this type of care if it was required.
¿ The home had a complaints procedure in place.
¿ The registered manager had effective systems in place to assess and monitor the quality of the service.
¿ They had worked in partnership with health and social care providers to plan and deliver an effective service.
¿ The service took people, their relatives, staff and health and social care professionals views into account through satisfaction surveys and feedback from the surveys was used to improve on the service.
¿ Staff enjoyed working at the home and said they received good support from the registered manager. Management support was always available for staff when they needed it.
Rating at last inspection: Good (Report was published on 7 July 2016).
Why we inspected: This was a planned inspection based on the last inspection rating.
Follow up: We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit in line with our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received we may inspect the service sooner.