Mrs Patricia Pauline Milligan - 51 Wellington Road

51 Wellington Road is a care home providing personal care and accommodation to up to eight people who have a learning disability. At the time of the inspection there were eight people living in the home. The home is a domestic style house within a local community. Accommodation is over three floors with bedrooms located on the first and second floor.

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. Support focused on them having as many opportunities as possible for them to gain new skills and become more independent.

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. The home was situated close to public transport links and good local amenities, meaning it was easier for people to access their community.

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

The systems in place to monitor the quality of the service required further development to ensure all areas of the service had clearly recorded checks and the providers involvement was evidenced. People told us the home was managed well, that they were included in decisions regarding their home and they were happy. Staff agreed the home was well managed and would be happy for their family members to receive support there. The management team were aware of their responsibilities.

Staff knew the people they supported very well. Care plans were in place that were detailed and based on the needs and preferences of each individual to help ensure they received person-centred care. Staff knew how best to communicate with people and people told us they could speak with staff at any time if they had any concerns or complaints. People were encouraged to participate in any hobbies or activities they chose to, and when needed, staff supported people to maintain relationships that were important to them.

People told us staff treated them well and were always kind. Staff spoke about people they supported with warmth and compassion and we observed positive, familiar interactions between people living in the home and staff. People’s views regarding the support they received were sought and feedback taken based on this. People told us they had full choice about how they spent their day and staff supported them in whatever way they needed to achieve what they wanted each day.

Staff were supported through a comprehensive induction, regular supervisions and access to training relevant to their roles. People were supported to eat a well-balanced diet. They were involved in deciding the menu each week and encouraged to prepare some meals. The service monitored people’s health and made appropriate referrals to other health and social care professionals when necessary. 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.

People told us they felt safe living in the home. There were sufficient numbers of staff on duty who had been safely recruited and were knowledgeable about safeguarding procedures. Medicines were administered by staff who were trained to do so, and people told us they received them when they needed them. Regular checks were made to help ensure the building remained safe and there was an ongoing programme of improvements in place. Some additional checks were required and following the inspection, the assistant manager evidenced that risks regarding legionella had been assessed. Accidents and incidents were reviewed by the management team to identify any potential themes and trends. This helped to prevent reoccurrence in the future and minimise risk to people.

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 28 July 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.

Based in a domestic style house within a local community the home provides good access to the facilities of New Brighton. Accommodation is over three floors with bedrooms located on the first and second floor.

At the last inspection, the home was rated good. At this inspection we found the home remained good.

People told us they felt safe living at 51 Wellington Road and knew that any concerns or complaints they raise would be listened to and acted upon by staff.

A total of six staff worked at the home including the registered manager. People knew all the staff well and were confident in their abilities to support them. Sufficient staff were available to support people and they had received appropriate training and support to undertake their role effectively. Staff had built good relationships with people and provided individual support to meet their needs.

People received the support they needed to monitor their physical and mental health and with their medication.

The manager was a member of the family who have owned and operated the home since it opened. He knew everyone living at the home very well and acted as a role model in promoting the ethos of the home which was to provide a homely, family environment. The house was safe, cosy and comfortable and people clearly viewed it as their home.

People were able to make decisions for themselves with advice and support from staff when needed. They were involved in the daily running of their home and made full use of the facilities as they chose.

People are 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.

Some systems were in place for monitoring the quality of the service. It was evident that people living there were listened to and their views taken into account. The home’s small staff team were well led by an experienced manager. Senior staff had a detailed understanding of how the home operated and any changes to people’s care or support needs.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

Most people were independent for personal care and were generally fit and well. People were all registered with a local GP health centre and saw a dentist, optician, and chiropodist as needed. The home used an electronic care plan system that comprised a comprehensive set of assessments of people's physical and mental abilities and needs, risk assessments, and plans for their care.

Medicines were stored securely and records we looked at indicated that people always received their medicines as prescribed by their doctor.

The home was comfortably furnished and provided a homely environment. Some improvements had been made to the environment since our last visit.

The home had a small and stable team of support staff who were all qualified to NVQ level 3 or 4.

At the time we visited the home had a vacancy and the manager told us that the people who lived there would be involved in choosing who would come to live at the home. People interested in going to live there would be invited to spend some time at the home before making a decision.

The assistant manager told us that everyone had an annual well-man or well-woman check up and a health passport was in place for each person. This is a document that can be taken with people when they use health services and gives details of their special needs.

Although this was a small service we saw that a high standard of record keeping was maintained. The assistant manager was able to provide all of the records we required and they had been well maintained and kept up to date.