Lynbrook

Updated 18 December 2018

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider was 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.

The unannounced inspection was carried out by one adult social care inspector on 8 & 9 November 2018.

During the inspection we met the three people who used the service. People had limited verbal communication so we observed staff practices. We also spoke with the registered manager, the deputy, two senior support worker and three support workers. We also spoke with the regional operations manager.

Before the inspection, the provider completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

We spent time with people in the communal areas and, with permission we looked in some people’s bedrooms, all of the bathrooms and the communal areas. We observed how staff interacted and supported individuals. We looked at people’s care records, four recruitment records and the staff training records. We checked the records relating to the management of the service, medication records, and some of the services policies and procedures.

We reviewed other information we held about the home, including the notifications we had received from the provider about deprivation of liberty applications and injuries. We contacted commissioners from the local authority who contracted people’s social care. We contacted the local safeguarding team and the adult social care team that commissioned services at Lynbrook. We did not receive any information of concern from these organisations. We used all of this information in a planning tool to inform the inspection process.

Updated 18 December 2018

Lynbrook is a 'care home' providing personal care to people with a learning disability. 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 property is an adapted dormer bungalow and each person has a their own bedroom. The home is registered for 4 people and there were three people living at the home when we inspected.

At our last inspection we rated the service good. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

Why the service is rated Good.

The care service had 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.

Risks to people were assessed and centred on the needs and rights of each individual and were designed to promote people’s independence.

There were enough skilled and experienced staff on duty to meet people’s needs. Recruitment systems were robust, so helped the employer make safer recruitment decisions when employing new staff. New staff had received a comprehensive induction into how the home operated and their job role. This was followed by regular training updates, supervision and specialist training to meet the needs of the people using the service.

People’s needs had been assessed before they moved to the home and we found they, and if required, their relatives had been involved in planning care. Care files reflected people’s care and support needs, choices and preferences and these were accurate and up to date.

There was a strong person centred and caring culture in the home. Person centred means that care is tailored to meet the needs and aspirations of each person, as an individual. The vision of the service was shared by the management team and staff.

People felt safe living in this home and staff supported them to stay safe in the local community. We saw that people who lived in the home were comfortable with the staff who worked there, with a supportive working relationship.

Systems were in place to protect people from the risk of harm. Staff were knowledgeable about safeguarding people and were able to explain the procedures to follow should an allegation of abuse be made. Assessments identified risks to people and management plans to reduce the risks were in place to ensure people’s safety.

Staff supported people in line with the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff support them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service support this practice.

Systems were in place to ensure people received their medications in a safe and timely way from staff who were appropriately trained. More robust monitoring of medication had been introduced since our last inspection.

There was an open and transparent culture where measures were put in place from lessons learnt from incidents or errors so that they were less likely to happen again. Records showed that systems for recording and managing complaints, safeguarding concerns and incidents and accidents were very well managed and organised.

People were supported to maintain good health because they had access to appropriate health care services. They were supported to eat and drink sufficient to maintain a balanced and varied diet.

Relatives of people who used the service told us they were very happy with how care and support was provided at the home. They spoke positively about the staff and the way the home was managed.

The management structure in the home had been strengthened since the last inspection, including the appointment of a new registered manager. This had led to improvements in the service, such as with care planning and the thoroughness of audits. Staff morale, team work and communication were good and the staff team were very positive about the changes.

The registered manager and staff we spoke with were passionate about ensuring effective quality monitoring to continually improve the service and the wellbeing of people they supported.

Staff conveyed enthusiasm about the ethos of the home and said they were committed as a staff team to make a difference to people’s lives. A visiting health care professional told us, “The staff team are fully on board with a positive pro-active approach. People’s well-being and engagement has improved dramatically recently with this refocus of approach.”