24 October 2023
During a routine inspection
Benham Lodge is a residential care home providing personal care and support for up to 9 people who have a diagnosis of learning disability and autism. At the time of our inspection there were 8 people using the service.
People’s experience of the service and what we found:
We expect health and social care providers to guarantee people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices and independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ is the guidance CQC follows to make assessment and judgements about services supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people and providers must have regard to it.
Right Support
The 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.
Staff focused on people’s strengths and promoted what they could do, so people had a fulfilling and meaningful everyday life.
People were supported by staff to pursue their interests. Staff supported people to achieve their aspirations and goals.
Right Care
People received kind and compassionate care. Staff protected and respected people’s privacy and dignity. They understood and responded to their individual needs.
Staff understood how to protect the person from poor care and abuse. The service worked well with other agencies to do so. Staff had training on how to recognise and report abuse and they knew how to apply it.
People who had individual ways of communicating, using body language, sounds, pictures and symbols could interact comfortably with staff and others involved in their care and support because staff had the necessary skills to understand them.
Right Culture
People led inclusive and empowered lives because of the ethos, values, attitudes and behaviours of the management and staff.
Staff placed the people’s wishes, needs and rights at the heart of everything they did.
People and those important to them, including advocates, were involved in planning their care.
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 the service under the previous provider was Good, published on 5 December 2020.
Why we inspected
This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.
Follow Up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.