Background to this inspection
Updated
13 March 2019
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: There was one inspector and an Expert by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.
Service and service type: 12 Lyndhurst Road provides accommodation with personal care and support for up to seven adults with learning disabilities. People in care homes receive accommodation and personal care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided and both were looked at during this inspection.
The care service has been developed and designed in line with the values that underpin 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’ – Registering the Right Support Policy.
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: We gave the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection visit because it is a small service. We needed to be sure that the manager and people would be in.
What we did: We reviewed the information we held about the service. This included information from other agencies and statutory notifications sent to us by the registered manager about events that had occurred at the service. A notification is information about important events which the provider is required to tell us about by law. We reviewed the information submitted in the provider’s information return. We used all this information to decide which areas to focus on during our inspection.
During the inspection we spoke with four people who lived at the service. Due to the nature of people’s complex needs, we were not always able to ask people direct questions. Some people chose not to talk with us and we respected this. We spent time observing the care and support people received and interactions between people and staff.
• Notifications we received from the service
• Three staff files and records relating to the management of the home
• Two people’s care records and medicine records
• Audits and quality assurance reports
• Four people using the service
• Six members of staff
• Minutes of meetings with staff, people and survey outcomes
Following the inspection we spoke by email to the local authority contracts and monitoring team about the service, they gave us permission to quote them in this report.
Updated
13 March 2019
About the service:
12 Lyndhurst Road is a residential care home for people living with a learning disability and/or autism and other complex needs. It is registered to provide personal care for up to seven people; at the time of inspection the home was full. Accommodation is provided over three floors and communal areas include a lounge and dining room and kitchen. People have their own rooms with access to gardens at the rear of the home. The house is adjoined with a care home that accommodates 37 residents. People have free access to the adjoining house next door which is owned by the same provider.
People’s experience of using this service:
We spoke with people and we observed they were comfortable in the presence of staff and in their home. Throughout the inspection, we observed positive interactions between people and staff. Staff spent time with people as and when they wanted. Staff respected people and enabled people to be independent. People were treated with dignity, patience and kindness. People were supported to achieve good outcomes.
People were safe and were supported by staff who were trained to recognise the signs of any potential abuse. Staff had been trained in safeguarding and knew what action to take if they had any concerns about people’s safety or welfare. People’s risks were identified and assessed appropriately. Staff knew how to keep people safe in an emergency such as a fire. At the time of the inspection no accidents or incidents were recorded. Lessons were learned from previous inspections and external assessments and audits were used to improve the service. There were sufficient staff to meet people’s needs, to enable them to engage with activities, access the community and to live their lives independently. People were supported by staff whose suitability was checked at recruitment. People’s medicines were managed safely.
Before they came to live at the home, people’s needs were fully assessed to ensure that staff could meet their needs appropriately. Staff completed training and were experienced in their roles to provide effective care to people. Staff received regular supervisions and an annual appraisal.
People contributed to the planning of menus and staff knew people’s dietary requirements. People had access to a range of healthcare professionals and services. 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 supported this practice.
People were comfortable in the company of the managers and support staff. Staff felt supported by the managers and felt confident that any suggestions or concerns would be listened to and acted upon. People were asked for their feedback about the home through surveys, questionnaires and at meetings if they wanted to attend. A range of quality assurance systems, done internally and by external professionals, measured and monitored the quality of care and the service overall.
People received personalised care that was tailored to meet their individual needs, preferences and choices. Care plans were detailed and guided staff about people’s needs and how to meet them. Staff encouraged people in decisions relating to their care, staff supported people to make choices and to live their lives as they wished. No complaints had been received at the time of the inspection. No-one living at the home required end of life care at the time of the inspection.
This service met the characteristics of Good. More information is in the ‘Detailed Findings’ below.
Rating at the last inspection: Good. The last inspection report was published on 25 July 2016.
Why we inspected: This was a planned comprehensive inspection that was scheduled to take place in line with Care Quality Commission (CQC) scheduling guidelines for adult social care services.
Follow up: We will review the service in line with our methodology for 'Good' services.