We carried out a review of the data available to us about The Orpheus Centre on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about The Orpheus Centre, you can give feedback on this service.
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. Student’s using the service receive planned and co-ordinated person-centred support that is appropriate and inclusive for them.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
The service applied the principles and values of Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These ensure that students can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes that include control, choice and independence. The outcomes for students reflected the principles and values of Registering the Right Support by promoting choice and control, independence and inclusion. Support for students focused on them having as many opportunities as possible for them to gain new skills and become more independent.
Appropriate recruitment checks had taken place before staff started work and there were enough staff available to meet the student’s care and support needs. The service had safeguarding procedures in place and staff had a clear understanding of these procedures. Risks to students had been assessed to ensure their needs were safely met. Student’s medicines were managed safely. The service had procedures in place to reduce the risk of infections.
Student’s care and support needs were assessed when they attended the college. Staff had the skills, knowledge and experience to support student’s appropriately. Staff were supported through induction, training and regular supervision. Students were supported to maintain a healthy balanced diet and had access to health care professionals when they needed them. Students 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.
Students and their relatives (where appropriate) had been consulted about their care and support needs. The service had a complaints procedure in place. Students end of life care needs and wishes where considered. The registered manager worked in partnership with education and health and social care providers to plan and deliver an effective service. There were systems in place to monitor the quality and safety of the service and any learning was identified and acted on. The provider took students and staff views into account through satisfaction surveys. Staff enjoyed working at the service and said they received good support from the registered manager.
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 27 January 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.
The Orpheus Centre domiciliary service provides personal care and support to tenants who live in 29 independent living flats located in the grounds of The Orpheus Centre, a residential performing arts college for young disabled adults situated in Godstone, Surrey. People who use the service are younger adults with a variety of disabilities that include sensory, physical, learning disabilities or autistic spectrum conditions and have a declared interest in the performing arts. At the time of our inspection 28 people were using the service.
The service has a registered manager. 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 who used the service were protected from the risk of abuse. Staff members had received training in safeguarding, and were able to demonstrate their understanding of what this meant for the people they were supporting. They were also knowledgeable about their role in ensuring that people were safe and that concerns were reported appropriately.
Medicines were well managed by the service. People’s medicines were managed and given to them appropriately. Records of medicines were well maintained.
We saw that staff at the service supported people in a caring and respectful way and responded promptly to meet their needs and requests. There were enough staff members on duty to meet the needs of the people using the service.
Staff members received regular relevant training and were knowledgeable about their roles and responsibilities and the needs of the people whom they supported. Appropriate checks took place as part of the recruitment process to ensure that staff members were suitable for the work that they would be undertaking. All staff members received regular supervision from a manager, and those whom we spoke with told us that they felt well supported.
The service was meeting the requirements of The Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). People who used the service were assessed as having capacity to make decisions. We were told by people that they were involved in agreeing their support plans and risk assessments.
Care plans and risk assessments were person centred and provided detailed guidance for staff around meeting people’s needs. These were up to date and had been amended where there had been changes in need. Systems for supporting and monitoring people’s needs and behaviours were effectively used and monitored. Personalised support tools had been designed with people to help them to manage their behaviours.
People were enabled to participate in a range of activities supported by staff. Their cultural, religious and relationship needs were supported by the service and detailed information about these was contained in people’s care plans.
People were supported to make healthy choices about the foods that they ate. Staff members provided support with menu planning and food shopping.
The service had a complaints procedure and we saw that complaints were managed effectively. People told us that knew how to complain if they were unhappy about the support they received
Arrangements were in place to ensure that people were supported to be healthy. People had health action plans and these showed that their health needs were met by the service.
We saw that there were systems in place to review and monitor the quality of the service, and action plans had been put in place and addressed where there were concerns. Policies and procedures were up to date and reflected good practice guidance.
The registered manager and other members of the management team communicated well with people who used the service and were familiar with their needs. People told us that they liked the managers of the service.
People told us they were involved in their care and were happy with the support provided by the service. Comments included "It's awesome", "They provide a very high standard of care" and "I always know what's happening".
We saw that staff respected the privacy and dignity of people by knocking on their front doors and speaking appropriately to them. People told us that staff were "Nice" and made them feel "Safe". Relatives of people also spoke highly of staff and described them as "Very good".
We found that people were supported by regular staff who understood their health and social needs.
People said that they found the management of the service to be very approachable and open to feedback. They said the manager had responded appropriately to any concerns they had raised.
We saw that the service had good quality assurance systems in place to ensure that the care and support provide was effective and people received a high quality of care.