4 July 2023
During a routine inspection
Not everyone who used the service received personal care. In this service, the Care Quality Commission can only inspect the service received by people who get support with personal care. This includes help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where people receive such support, we also consider any wider social care provided.
People's care and housing are provided under separate contractual arrangements. The CQC does not regulate premises used for supported living; this inspection looked at people's care and support.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
We expect health and social care providers to guarantee autistic people and people with a learning disability the choices, dignity, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. Right Support, right care, right culture is the statutory guidance which supports CQC to make assessments and judgements about services providing support to people with a learning disability and/or autistic people.
The service was able to demonstrate how they were meeting underpinning principles of “Right Support, Right Care, Right Culture.
The Right support:
The model of care and setting maximised people’s choice, control and independence. The service was in a town and there was good access to the local community and amenities.
People were supported to make their own decisions and included in the day to day running of their home. This included attending work or college, going shopping and accessing the community.
Staff focused on people’s strengths and interests. They promoted what people could do and focused on people having as many opportunities as possible for them to gain new skills and become more independent.
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 were supported by enough staff on duty who had been trained to do their jobs properly. People received their medicines in a safe way and were protected from abuse and neglect. Peoples care plans and risk assessments were clear and up to date. People were able to access timely support from health and social care professionals.
Right Care
There was a strong person-centred culture within the staff team. Care is person-centred and promoted people’s dignity, privacy and human rights. People were treated in a dignified manner and staff were aware of people’s support needs.
Staff knew people well and demonstrated an understanding of people's individual care, behavioural and communication needs. Staff gained consent from people prior to providing any support.
People received good quality care, support and treatment because staff had the skills they needed and supported each other effectively. Staff comments included “We are like a family and as we are a small service, we get to know people well. We really do care.” Health and social care professionals also provided positive views on the caring approach by staff to people they supported. Comments included “Staff here really do seem to care.”
People communicated with staff with no hesitation. Staff understood their individual communication needs and were consistent in their approach and response. Care plans informed staff of any specific ways to best communicate with each person.
Right culture
People led their life that reflected their personalities and preferences. People were supported by staff where the ethos, values, and attitudes of management and care staff ensured they led confident, inclusive and empowered lives.
Staff created an environment that inspired people to understand and achieve their goals and ambitions. A person commented “Elizabeth House has changed my life. I lost all hope, but Elizabeth House has made me realise that I have a whole life ahead of me and am really looking forward to achieving my goals and overcoming barriers.” Comments from staff included “We are so pleased when we see people achieve their goals, we enjoy their success with them.”
People’s quality of life was enhanced by the staff team’s commitment to ensuring a respectful and inclusive culture. Systems were in place to monitor the quality of the care and support people received.
The registered manager and staff team were open and transparent and acted on feedback given, and queries raised, throughout the inspection.
People, relatives and health and social care professionals were complimentary of the service and could not identify any areas for improvement.
For more information, please read the detailed findings section of this report. If you are reading this as a separate summary, the full report can be found on the Care Quality Commission (CQC) website at www.cqc.org.uk
Last rating and update
This service was registered with us on 29 April 2022, and this is the first inspection. The last rating for the service under the previous provider was rated good, published on 21 December 2020.
Why we inspected
This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.
We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.