Hemlington Hall

Updated 11 January 2024

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.

Inspection team

The inspection team consisted of 2 inspectors and an Expert by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

Hemlington Hall 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. Hemlington Hall 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

The inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

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 reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection.

We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 3 people who use the service, 3 relatives and 3 health professionals. We spoke with 6 members of staff including the registered manager, deputy manager and care staff.

We reviewed a range of records. This included 2 people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at 2 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.

Updated 11 January 2024

About the service

Hemlington Hall is a residential care home providing accommodation to people who require personal care to. The service provides support to younger adults with a learning disabilities or autistic spectrum disorder. Hemlington Hall consists of a main house, which can accommodate up to 6 people, and 2 self-contained bungalows within the grounds, which can accommodate 2 people. At the time of our inspection there were 7 people using the service.

People’s experience of the service and what we found:

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices and independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ is the guidance CQC follows to make assessment and judgements about services supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people and providers must have regard to it.

Right Support

Staff focused on people’s strengths and promoted what they could do, so people had a fulfilling and meaningful everyday life. The service worked with people to plan for when they experienced periods of distress so that their freedoms were restricted only if there was no alternative. Staff supported people to take part in activities and pursue their interests in their local area. The service supported people to have the maximum possible choice, control and independence be independent and they had control over their own lives. Care and support was provided in a safe, clean, well equipped, and well-maintained environment that met their sensory and physical needs. Staff supported people with their medicines in a way that promoted their independence and achieved the best possible health outcome.

Right Care

Staff promoted equality and diversity in their support for people. They understood people’s cultural needs and provided culturally appropriate care that was kind and compassionate. Staff protected and respected people’s privacy and dignity. They understood and responded to people’s individual needs. Staff understood how to protect people from poor care and abuse. Staff had training on how to recognise and report abuse and they knew how to apply it. The service had enough appropriately skilled staff to meet people’s needs and keep them safe. People could communicate with staff and understand information given to them because staff supported them consistently and understood their individual communication needs. People received care that supported their needs and aspirations, was focused on their quality of life, and followed best practice. People could take part in activities and pursue interests that were tailored to them. The service gave people opportunities to try new activities that enhanced and enriched their lives. Staff and people cooperated to assess risks people might face. Where appropriate, staff encouraged and enabled people to take positive risks.

Right Culture

People led inclusive and empowered lives because of the ethos, values, attitudes and behaviours of the management and staff. People were supported by staff who understood best practice in relation to the supporting people with a learning disability and/or autistic people. This meant people received compassionate and empowering care that was tailored to their needs. Staff turnover was very low, which supported people to receive consistent care from staff who knew them well. Staff placed people’s wishes, needs and rights at the heart of everything they did. People and those important to them were involved in planning their care. Staff evaluated the quality of support provided to people, involving the person, their families and other professionals as appropriate. Staff valued and acted upon people’s views. People’s quality of life was enhanced by the service’s culture of improvement and inclusivity.

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 21 October 2019).

Why we inspected

The inspection was prompted in part due to concerns received about care, support and staffing. A decision was made for us to inspect and examine those risks.

We undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of safe, caring, responsive and well-led only. For those key question not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating.

We found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm from this concern.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Hemlington Hall on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Follow Up

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