Milverton Road

Updated 8 January 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

The inspection was carried out by one inspector

Service and service type

6 Milverton Road 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 had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about 6 Milverton Road since the last inspection. We viewed notifications the provider had sent us. A notification is information the provider must send us if people who used the service had accidents or if there had been safeguarding concerns. On this occasion we did not request the provider to complete a provider information return. 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. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

People in the home had learning disabilities and could not always communicate with us and tell us what they thought about the home. We therefore spent time on the inspection observing the experience of people and their care. We also observed how staff interacted with people and the support they provided. During the inspection we spoke with five staff this included the registered manager and area manager.

We reviewed a range of records. This included two peoples care records and multiple medication records. We looked at three 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.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at training data and quality assurance records. We spoke with two relatives and sought feedback from three health and social care professionals.

Updated 8 January 2020

About the service

6 Milverton Road is a residential care home providing personal care and accommodation to six people with a learning disability and physical disability. 6 Milverton Road is in Willesden Northwest London close to shops and local amenities. During the day of our inspection 6 Milverton Road had no vacancies.

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. People 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

People received safe care and support as the staff team had been trained to recognised signs of abuse or risk and understood what to do to safely support people. People received safe support with their medicines by competent staff members. The provider had systems in place to respond to any medicine errors. Staff members followed effective infection prevention and control procedures. When risks to people's health and welfare were identified, the provider acted to minimise the likelihood of occurrence.

The provider supported staff in providing effective care for people through person-centred care planning, training, and supervision. People were promptly referred to additional healthcare services when required. People were supported to maintain a healthy diet. The environment where people lived suited their individual needs and preferences. 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.

People received help and support from a kind and compassionate staff team with whom they had positive relationships. People were supported by staff members who were aware of their individual protected characteristics such as age and gender. People were supported to develop their independence and to set achievable goals in life.

People participated in a range of activities that met their individual choices and preferences and that they found interesting and stimulating. People were provided with information in a way that they could understand. Policies and guidelines important to people were provided in an easy to read format with pictures to aid their understanding. The provider had systems in place to encourage and respond to any complaints or compliments from people or visitors.

The provider had effective systems to monitor the quality of the service they provided and to drive improvements where needed. The provider and management team had good links with the local community which people benefited from.

The service applied the principles and values of Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These ensure that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes that include control, choice and independence.

The outcomes for people using the service reflected the principles and values of Registering the Right Support by promoting choice and control, independence and inclusion. People's support focused on them having as many opportunities as possible for them to gain new skills and become more independent.

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 8 July 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.