Wendover Road

Updated 20 January 2022

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 is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

As part of CQC’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic we are looking at how services manage infection control and visiting arrangements. This was a targeted inspection looking at the infection prevention and control measures the provider had in place. We also asked the provider about any staffing pressures the service was experiencing and whether this was having an impact on the service.

This inspection took place on 13 January 2022 and was announced. We gave the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection.

Updated 20 January 2022

About the service

Wendover Road is a residential care home providing accommodation and personal care to four adults at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to a maximum of four people at any one time. There were nine staff employed by the service.

Wendover Road supports people living with a learning disability or autism. This includes both younger and older adults, and people with physical disabilities. The service is part of the Hightown Housing Association Limited group, who operate 14 registered locations in England.

The care home accommodated people within the single floor house, and each person had their own very large bedroom. There were communal shower, bath and toilet facilities. The entire premises were wheelchair accessible with wide doorways and corridors. There was a communal kitchen, lounge room and dining room. There was a large garden at the rear of the care home. The service had a minibus for transporting people from the care home into the community. There was also a dedicated staff office.

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 using the service receive planned and co-ordinated person-centred support that is appropriate and inclusive for them.

There were deliberately no identifying signs, intercom, cameras, industrial bins or anything else outside to indicate it was a care home. Staff were also discouraged from wearing anything that suggested they were care staff when coming and going with people.

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

People were protected from abuse, neglect and discrimination. Risk assessments were carried out in a timely manner for people's personal care. The risk assessments were thorough and up-to-date and contained relevant information to ensure risks were mitigated as far as possible. Premises risks were assessed and managed. There were enough staff deployed. The house was clean and tidy. Medicines were safely managed.

People's likes, preferences and dislikes were considered and used in their everyday care. Staff had a good knowledge of people's needs. People received enough food and drinks to prevent malnutrition and dehydration. People's care was joined up with local and community-based health and social care professionals. The service was compliant with the Mental Capacity Act (and associated provisions) and people were legally deprived of their liberty. There was a pleasant refurbishment of the property and this was planned to continue. Staff had the necessary knowledge, skills and experience to support people who lived at Wendover Road.

The service was caring, and the staff are kind and compassionate. People's rights were respected, and their dignity and privacy was maintained. Where possible, people's independence was maintained and promoted. Parents/relatives were involved in people's care planning and reviews. There was positive feedback on file about the care provided.

Support plans were person-centred, detailed and contemporaneous. The daily notes were very good and contained information about people's daily behaviour and emotional status. The service ensured that information was provided in a way that people could understand it. There was a satisfactory complaints mechanism and no complaints had been received.

There was a good underlying set of principles about the care provided to people of Wendover Road. Staff were happy at the service and there was a positive workplace environment. There was an appropriate series of audits and other quality assurance processes to monitor and report on the quality and safety of care. Appropriate actions were taken when issues were identified. The registered manager and assistant manager were knowledgeable, skilled and experienced and able to lead the service well. There was good linked up working within the organisation and local community. Management and team meetings were used to share lessons learned, knowledge and updates within the organisation. We made a recommendation about the provider sharing feedback effectively with the location.

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 service applied the principles and values of Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These ensure that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes that include control, choice and independence.

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 24 June 2017).

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.