The Care Quality Commission
  • Care Home
  • Care home

Archived: Longton Court

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

8 Longton Grove Road, Weston Super Mare, Somerset, BS23 1LT (01934) 708771

Provided and run by:
Community Therapeutic Services Limited

Important: This service is now registered at a different address - see new profile

All Inspections

5 & 7 August 2015

During a routine inspection

We carried out this unannounced inspection on the 5 and 7 August 2015. At our last inspection in November 2013 no concerns were identified.

Longton Court provides accommodation for up to seven people who could have a learning disability, autism and or mental health needs and who require personal and/or nursing care. At the time of our visit there were six people living at the home. Longton Court has three self-contained flats that have their own front door and three double bedrooms all with en-suites, a communal kitchen, lounge, dining room, medicines room, office, activities room, garden and patio area. There is also a self-contained ground floor flat and staff sleeping area.

There was a registered manager in post. 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. The registered manager was present during the inspection.

There was not a safe system in place for the recruitment of new staff and some staff did start without appropriate checks being in place. Staffing levels were good and staff were skilled in communication with people, especially if people were unable to communicate verbally. Staff confirmed what a positive experience they had working for such a supportive provider. They all felt the culture of the home ensured they were kept informed of the situation through effective communication and support.

People were supported by staff who demonstrated a kind and caring approach. People received consistent support from staff who knew them well. People and relatives felt safe. The registered manager was ensuring people had their medicines administered by staff who had received training and were verified as being competent at administering medicines.

People, relatives and professionals we spoke with were happy with the care provided. People had support to access activities that were important to them and support plans and risk assessments were in place. People received a service that was based on their personal needs and wishes. Changes in people’s needs were quickly identified and their care package amended to meet their changing needs. There was enough staff to ensure people had access to community and their one to one support.

People and relatives were involved in planning medical treatments and felt there was good communication to ensure these ran smoothly. Health checks had been completed for some people living at the home, the registered manager was taking action to ensure all people had a completed health check. People who were unable to consent to care and treatment had completed assessments and best interest decision paperwork in place that involved significant others. Staff gave people choice and received training in the principles of The Mental Capacity Act 2005.

Annual surveys were sent to people, relatives and professionals about the quality of the service and there was a range of audits that monitored care and safety addressing shortfalls. A complaints policy with an easy read version was available for people and relatives. All people we spoke with felt happy to raise a complaint with the registered manager.

We found one breach of The Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014.

You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of the report.

27 November 2013

During a routine inspection

We spoke with two people who lived at the service who were able to tell us they were happy living there. We saw people who were unable to express their views verbally appeared well cared for. We observed that they were supported by staff who knew them well and understood their needs.

A wide range of health and social care professionals were involved in people’s care. Regular care reviews were carried out. Any advice or guidance from professionals was acted upon and incorporated into care plans.

People were encouraged and supported by staff to make decisions about their day to day lives. Others close to them, such as their family members, were also involved in decisions about their care.

We saw medicines were managed safely; people were supported with attendance for healthcare appointments.

Staff spoken with told us that working at Longton Court was “brilliant” because of the contribution they made to people having fulfilling lives. We heard they were supported by their peers and well led by the home’s manager.

In this report the name of a registered manager appears who was not in post and not managing the regulatory activities at this location at the time of the inspection. Their name appears because they were still the registered manager on our register.

11 February 2013

During a routine inspection

There were four people living at the home at the time of the inspection. We met with three people and one person was able to tell us their views in detail. Most people were limited in their abilities to communicate verbally with us so we also observed the care provided to help us to understand their experience.

People we asked told us they liked living at the home, especially having access to the local community. One person told us "I like seeing staff and (people living at the home). I really like going out with staff". Care plans and risk assessments were person centred, regularly updated and implemented effectively to ensure each person's needs as an individual were met.

We observed staff asking for people's consent before they assisted them and where people lacked capacity, staff were skilled in working with them to make choices and worked in line with legal requirements.

People we asked told us they felt safe. Safeguarding procedures were in place and behaviour management plans were implemented to reduce the use of restraint to a minimum.

People told us they got on well with staff. One person told us "I sit down and talk to staff if I have a problem". We observed each person had access to at least one staff member who was assigned to them through the day to provide personalised care and support.

There was a robust quality monitoring system in place demonstrated particularly by the way incidents were analysed to ensure continual service development.

27 June 2011

During a routine inspection

We visited Longton Court on Monday 27 June 2011. We met the four people living at the house on the day of our visit and talked with three of them. One person was able to communicate well with us and told us about living at Longton Court.

We were told that people who live at the home like being in the area and enjoy lots of activities, some of which are associated with being in a tourist town. People are able to go on day trips to places such as London, visit their families and friends, go shopping, visit the cinema, and go to the local caf's and other local attractions. The town centre is a few minutes walk from the house and there are local shops nearby.

We heard that the house is very busy on weekends and that there are often more members of staff working on those days. This is particularly in the summer months, to enable people to go into Weston-super-Mare and take part in and enjoy some of the events and activities organised locally.

We saw that people were able to decorate their own rooms to their liking and to have things with them that they valued. They were also able to take part in decorating the communal areas and choosing fixtures and fittings.

One person told us that he 'likes living here' and likes going out to eat and playing basketball with members of staff. He told us that he feels safe and that he is well looked after. He said that he gets people coming to visit him too, including his family, which he enjoys.