Options The Old Vicarage

Updated 4 March 2023

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 Health and Social Care Act 2008.

As part of this inspection we looked at the infection control and prevention measures in place. This was conducted so we can understand the preparedness of the service in preventing or managing an infection outbreak, and to identify good practice we can share with other services.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Service and service type

Options the Old Vicarage is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing and/or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement dependent on their registration with us. Options the Old Vicarage is a care home without nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 2 people who used the service and 1 relative about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with 3 members of staff including the registered manager, deputy manager and support staff. We reviewed a range of records. These included 4 people’s care records and the medicines records for all the people who used the service. We looked at 3 staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

After the inspection, we continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at quality assurance records and written feedback about the service from people and staff. We emailed and received feedback from 4 members of staff and 3 professionals who regularly visit the service.

Updated 4 March 2023

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee autistic people and people with a learning disability the choices, dignity, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. Right support, right care, right culture is the statutory guidance which supports CQC to make assessments and judgements about services providing support to people with a learning disability and/or autistic people. We considered this guidance as there were people using the service who have a learning disability and/ or who are autistic.

About the service

Options the Old Vicarage provides accommodation and personal care for up to 8 people who have a range of needs including autism, mental health needs and/or learning disabilities. There were 6 people using the service at the time of this inspection. The provider has a range of registered care services including several adult social care services across the country.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

The service was able to demonstrate how they were meeting the underpinning principles of right support, right care, right culture.

Right Support

People who used the service were supported by caring and dedicated staff to exercise their choices and remain as independent as possible. The staff worked in a highly person-centred way, knew people’s individual needs and how to meet these. The staff were supported by the management team to work together and find creative ways to promote learning and for people to develop new skills. People told us they were very happy and had meaningful and fulfilling lives. 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.

The staff worked in a holistic way and always focused on people’s strengths to help ensure they could meet the needs of all the people, regardless of how complex these were. The registered manager had implemented a system whereby people and their representatives were involved in the planning of their care and support and care plans were based on the individual according to their choices and wishes. People were supported to pursue their interests and achieve aspirations and goals. The staff had used people’s individual strengths to build meaningful relationships between them. This included teaching each other skills and knowledge. People took part in a wide range of social activities of their choice.

Staff supported people with de-escalation techniques when they became anxious or agitated, which prevented them from restraining people. The environment had been developed to benefit and meet the individual needs of people. Staff enabled people to access specialist health and social care support in the community. People received their medicines safely and as prescribed.

Right Care

The staff provided kind and compassionate care and people told us they felt respected, valued and happy. Staff protected and respected people’s privacy and dignity. People’s individual wishes and needs were met by staff who were well trained and supported, and put people’s needs at the centre of everything they did.

Staff received training in safeguarding adults and understood how to protect people from poor care and abuse. People were supported to improve their skills and learn new ones. This meant one person had been able to move on to a more independent service and was thriving. The registered manager had worked with each person to develop a comprehensive range of communication methods so they understood their needs fully. They ensured the staff had a full understanding of these and responded to these appropriately.

Right Culture

People, relatives and staff told us the culture of the service had gone from strength to strength and this was evident. People’s quality of life and their health had greatly improved and this was attributed to the service’s culture of improvement and inclusivity. The registered manager and staff worked with people to empower them to lead happy and meaningful lives. The provider’s ethos and values were shared by all and this had contributed to a happy staff team who enjoyed their work and felt appreciated. This meant people received good quality care and support.

The management supported staff to receive regular training so they could understand best practice in relation to the range of needs people with a learning disability and/or autistic people may have. This meant people were empowered and received compassionate care that was tailored to their needs. Staff were happy working at the service and enjoyed their jobs, so turnover was low. This resulted in people being supported by regular staff who knew them well. This contributed to a consistent support which people benefited from. The provider enabled people and those important to them to work with staff to develop the service.

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 (published 17 August 2021).

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.

For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating.

The overall rating for the service has remained good based on the findings of this inspection.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.