Background to this inspection
Updated
7 February 2020
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 Care Act 2014.
Inspection team
This inspection was carried by one inspector.
Service and service type
The Old School House is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.
The service did not have a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. A registered manager and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided. The service had an interim manager, who was not available on the day of the inspection, and a facility manager, who was.
Notice of inspection
This inspection was unannounced.
What we did before inspection
We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. This included checking for any statutory notifications that the provider had sent to us. A statutory notification is information about important events which the provider is required to send us by law. We had received feedback from the local authority and the local Healthwatch. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England. The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.
During the inspection
We spoke with one person who use the service and one staff member and the facility manger. We looked at two care files. We also looked at records held by the service including audits.
After the inspection
We sought clarification from the provider regarding some of the evidence found. We received written feedback from a relative and a social care professional who visited the home.
Updated
7 February 2020
About the service
The Old School House is a residential care home registered to provide personal care to up to ten people with a learning disability. At the time of the inspection there were three people living at the home.
Registering the Right Support has values which include choice, promotion of independence and inclusion. This is to ensure people with learning disabilities and autism using the service can live as ordinary a life as any citizen. The home was not fully meeting the principles of this policy.
The Old School House is currently in a period of transition. The home is being sold and people, placing authorities and staff have been given a date for its final closure if a sale is not achieved.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
The priority for the home managers and staff is currently to keep people safe while planned changes take place. People received safe and effective care and support to meet their individual needs. People were protected from harm as risks were known although some safeguards were not the least restrictive despite keeping people safe. Staff were confident to recognise and report abuse.
People received their medicines as prescribed and there were procedures in place to ensure the process was carried out safely.
People were supported by a staff team who had the knowledge and skills to meet their needs effectively. There were enough staff employed to ensure flexible support. Staff were well supported.
People’s needs had been assessed and documented in care plans. Staff were confident they could meet people’s individually assessed needs and relatives were equally as confident in staff's skills and abilities.
People’s care was responsive to their changing needs. Staff worked in partnership with health and social care professionals to ensure consistency and ensure people received appropriate and safe support. People were supported to access healthcare, and other agencies, when required and effective joint working had a positive impact on people who used the service.
People received appropriate support to eat and drink and their nutritional needs were met.
Staff were caring and respectful, promoting people’s privacy, dignity and independence.
People knew how to raise a concern and felt listened to.
Activities were currently not being developed although people still had opportunities to enjoy social events, especially in the lead up to Christmas time.
Interim management arrangements ensured stability at a time of great change. The provider had been open and transparent about changes and had taken appropriate action when things had gone wrong and when people had been put at risk of harm.
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 requires improvement. (Report published March 2019. At this inspection the service is now good.
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection brought forward following safeguarding concerns raised to the local authority. At the time of the inspection these concerns were being addressed.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme or until the home closes. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.