Walsingham Support - Staffordshire

Updated 28 March 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 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. This unannounced inspection was undertaken by one inspector on 21 February 2018.

We used information we held about the service and the provider to assist us to plan the inspection. This included notifications the provider had sent to us about significant events at the service. As part of our planning, we also reviewed feedback from the local authority and the food standards agency. We also used information the provider sent us in the Provider Information Return (PIR). This is information we require providers to send us at least once annually to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

During the inspection visit, we used a range of methods to help us understand people’s experience of living at the home. We spoke with four people who lived in the care home, three people who received support in the community, and one relative. Following the inspection visit, we also received feedback from three relatives by telephone. We spent time observing how staff interacted with people who used the service and watched how staff supported people and cared for them. We also received telephone feedback from a community professional and an advocate. An advocate is an independent person who ensures people’s voice is heard if they find it difficult to speak up for themselves.

We spoke with five support workers, the domestic worker, the deputy manager and the registered manager. We looked at four care plans to see if they were up to date and accurate, and reviewed medicine administration records and daily logs. We reviewed one staff file to see how staff were recruited and the records relating to the management of the service. This included audits the registered manager had in place to ensure the quality of the service was continuously monitored and reviewed.

Updated 28 March 2018

Walsingham Support 18-20 Richmond Close is a ‘care home’, registered to provide support for up to eight people. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection. At the time of our inspection, eight people with learning disabilities were living there. Walsingham Support 18-20 Richmond Close also provides personal care support to three people who live in the community in their own homes. This unannounced inspection visit took place on 21 February 2018.

The care service has 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 life as any citizen.

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.

People continued to receive safe care from staff who understood how to protect them from harm. Risks were managed and people received their medicines safely. There were enough staff to support people, and safe recruitment processes were followed. Lessons were learnt and improvements made when incidents occurred.

The support people received was delivered by staff who had the knowledge and skills to provide effective care. Staff supported people to maintain their physical health and wellbeing and to prepare meals of their choice. The home environment was adapted to meet people’s needs. 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.

Staff were caring, and people were treated with kindness and respect. Staff knew people well and understood how to communicate with them. People’s privacy was respected, and their dignity and independence promoted. Visitors were encouraged and people were able to maintain relationships that were important to them.

The care people received was individual to them and took their preferences and wishes into account. There were various opportunities for people to take part in activities at home and in the community, and this reduced the risk of social isolation. People and their relatives were confident in raising issues or concerns, and the provider responded to these in a timely manner.

The management and staff team were committed to providing good quality care to people, and promoted a culture that was open and empowering. Staff were supported and motivated in their roles. People and their relatives were encouraged to share ideas to develop the service. There were effective systems in place to monitor the quality of the service, and these were used to drive improvements. The registered manager understood their responsibilities as a registered person.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.