Archived: Harrington Cottage

The provider of this service is Canterbury Oast Trust and is referred to throughout this report as the trust.

The inspection took place on 21 October 2015, and was an unannounced inspection. The previous inspection on 17 June 2014 found no breaches in the legal requirements.

Harrington Cottage provides accommodation and personal care for up to six people with a learning disability. At the time of the inspection there were five people living at the service with one vacancy. The service is provided in a detached cottage. It is set well back from the road, down a lane, in a rural area approximately 20 minutes’ walk from Aldington village centre. The service is not suitable for those with mobility problems. Car parking is available. Each person has a single room and there is a communal wet room, bathroom, separate toilet, kitchen/diner and lounge. There is a garden with a paved seating area and summer house.

The service is run by a registered manager, who was not present in the service on the day of the inspection. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

People told us they received their medicines safely and when they should. However we found shortfalls relating to some medicine guidance and storage.

The registered manager, supported by an acting manager provided leadership to the staff. Staff were motivated and felt well supported. The staff team had a good understanding of the ‘mission’ of the trust, which was to enable and empower people with a learning disability. We found staff worked in a way that supported the mission statement. People did not have any concerns, but felt comfortable in raising issues. Their feedback was gained both informally and formally. Audits, checks and visits by senior management all helped to ensure people received a quality service.

People had their needs met by sufficient numbers of staff on duty. Staff had undergone a thorough recruitment process to ensure they were suitable to support people safely. Staff received relevant induction, training and support to provide safe care and support for people. People were happy with the service they received. They felt staff had the right skills and experience to meet their needs. People felt staff were very caring and kind.

People felt safe living at Harrington Cottage. The service had safeguarding procedures in place and staff had received training in these. Staff demonstrated an understanding of what constituted abuse and how to report any concerns in order to keep people safe.

Risks associated with people’s care and support had been assessed and people were encouraged and supported to be as independent as possible and participate in household tasks and access the community safely.

People were involved in the planning of their care and support. Care plans contained information about people’s wishes and preferences and some pictures and photographs to make them more meaningful. They detailed people’s skills in relation to tasks and what help they required from staff, in order that their independence was maintained or developed. People had regular reviews of their care and support where they were able to discuss any concerns or aspirations.

People benefited from living in an environment and using equipment that was well maintained. There were records to show that equipment and the premises received regular checks and servicing. People freely accessed the service and spent time where they chose.

People had a varied diet and were involved in planning the menus. People did a variety of activities that they had chosen and regularly accessed the community. People’s health was monitored and appropriate referrals were made to health care professionals.

People were supported to make their own decisions and choices and these were respected by staff. Staff had received training in the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005. The MCA provides the legal framework to assess people’s capacity to make certain decisions, at a certain time. When people are assessed as not having the capacity to make a decision, a best interest decision is made involving people who know the person well and other professionals, where relevant. The registered manager and acting manager understood and practiced this process.

We found a breach of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. You can see what action we have asked the provider to take at the end of this report.