Background to this inspection
Updated
13 December 2019
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 one inspector.
Service and service type
Mrs P M Eales t/a Just Homes - 3 New Hill 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 was announced. We gave short notice of the inspection, so staff could prepare people for our visit. This was to minimise the risk of our visit causing anxiety to people due to their complex needs.
What we did before the inspection
We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. For example, statutory notifications. A notification is information about important events which the provider is required to tell us about by law. The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report.
During the inspection
We observed interactions between staff and three people to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us. We spoke with the registered manager and six members of staff. We looked at three people's care records, eight staff recruitment, supervision and training files, the provider's policies, procedures, quality assurance systems and other records demonstrating how the service was managed.
After the inspection
We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at training and quality assurance records. We spoke with four relatives of people who use the service, one person’s advocate and three community professionals.
Updated
13 December 2019
About the service
Mrs P M Eales t/a Just Homes - 3 New Hill is an adapted residential building which delivers personal care and support for up to three people who have learning disabilities and associated needs. At the time of inspection, the service was supporting three people. For ease of reference this service will be referred to as New Hill throughout this report.
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’s experience of using this service and what we found
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. People's support focused on them having as many opportunities as possible for them to gain new skills and become more independent.
People were safe at the service. Staff had received required training and understood their responsibilities to safeguard people from discrimination, harm and abuse. Risks to people had been identified, assessed and measures had been put in place to ensure these were reduced and managed safely. People were supported by enough suitable staff who knew them well and how to meet their needs. People received their prescribed medicines safely, from staff who had completed the required training and had their competency to do so regularly assessed. People lived in a home which was clean, hygienic and well maintained.
People's needs were met effectively by staff who had the necessary skills and knowledge. The registered manager effectively operated a system of training, supervision, appraisal and competency assessments, which enabled staff to provide good quality care. Staff promoted people's health by supporting people to access health care services when required and by encouraging people to eat a healthy diet.
People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.
Staff effectively involved people and their relatives where appropriate, in decisions about their care, so that their human and legal rights were upheld.
Staff treated people with kindness and respect. People were supported to express their views about their care and their wishes were respected. People's privacy and dignity were respected and promoted during the delivery of their care.
People consistently experienced person-centred care, which had significantly reduced the level of behaviours that may challenge others, the frequency of self-injurious behaviour and the level of prescribed medicines administered to manage people's anxieties. People were at the heart of the service. Staff felt valued and respected by the management team who had created a true sense of family within the service. Staff were passionate and continuously strove to achieve good, positive outcomes for people.People and their relatives knew how to complain and were confident the management team would listen and take appropriate action if they raised concerns. At the time of inspection the service was not supporting anyone with end of life care.
The registered manager effectively operated quality assurance and governance systems to drive continuous improvement in the service. The management team effectively collaborated with key organisations to ensure the safe and effective delivery of people’s care.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection
The last rating for this service was Good (report published 3 April 2017). At this inspection the rating remained Good.
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.