Archived: RNIB The Clockhouse

Updated 11 May 2016

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This inspection took place on 24 February 2016 and was unannounced. The inspection team consisted of one inspector and an expert by experience. An expert by experience is someone who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of service.

Before the inspection, we reviewed records held by CQC which included notifications, complaints and any safeguarding concerns. A notification is information about important events which the registered person is required to send us by law. This enabled us to ensure we were addressing potential areas of concern at the inspection.

As part of our inspection we met with the six people who lived at the home. Due to the complex communication needs of some of the people who lived at RNIB The Clockhouse, we also undertook observations in addition to talking with them. We interviewed five staff, including the Deputy Manager for RNIB and the Team Leader who was responsible for the day to day management of the service. After the inspection we gathered feedback from two relatives, and one visiting professional. We also reviewed a variety of documents which included the care plans for two people, three staff files, medicines records and various other documentation relevant to the management of the home.

The home was last inspected in November 2013 when we had no concerns.

Updated 11 May 2016

RNIB The Clockhouse (The Clockhouse) is a care home that is registered to provide residential care to a maximum of six adults who have sight difficulties. They may also have additional learning disabilities, autism, emotional or mental health needs. There were six people living in the home at the time of our inspection.

The inspection took place on 24 February 2016 and was unannounced.

The service did not have a registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) 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 previous registered manager had left the organisation on 22nd January 2016 and the provider was actively recruiting to this position. The day to day management of the home was being undertaken by a team leader who was being overseen by the deputy manager and a service manager.

Due to some wider changes within the RNIB services, the people living at The Clockhouse had previously been living at another location. Due to the closure of their previous service, the people had moved to The Clockhouse in October 2015. Feedback indicated that overall this move resulted in positive outcomes for people in terms of a better living environment and greater community access. The process of achieving this move however had not always been effectively communicated by the provider. This had led to a period of uncertainty and anxiety within the service.

The service had a number of staff vacancies which whilst being recruited to were being covered by the use of agency and relief staff. Whilst it is beneficial to have a core of permanent staff, we were told that the service had taken appropriate steps to mitigate the impact of this by using regular agency staff who had become familiar to people and their needs.

Appropriate systems were in place to ensure only suitable staff were employed and all staff received relevant training to enable them to undertake their roles. People were protected from the risk of abuse, avoidable harm or discrimination because staff understood their roles and responsibilities in protecting them. Staff understood the importance of gaining consent from people and acted in accordance with the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005.

People received personalised care that was responsive to their needs. Each person had a detailed plan of care that was kept under regular review. Risks to people were identified and managed in a proactive and enabling way that balanced their safety and independence.

The service had a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. Staff were kind and caring towards people and upheld their privacy and dignity at all times. Staff had a good understanding of people’s needs and engaged with and supported them effectively.

People were supported to maintain good health. The service had good links with other health care professionals to ensure people kept healthy and well. Medicines were managed safely and there were good processes in place to ensure people received the right medication at the right time.

People had choice and control over their meals and were effectively supported to maintain a healthy and balanced diet. Specialist dietary needs were managed well.

People were actively involved in making decisions about their care and staff understood the importance of respecting people’s choices and allowing them to live their lives as they wished. People were supported to follow their own daily routines and had opportunities to engage in meaningful activities.

The daily management of the home was good and staff felt the team leader was an excellent mentor for them and ambassador for people. The culture within the service was open and positive and provided care that placed people at the centre. The provider’s monitoring systems had recently improved and the service had been encouraged to adopt reflective learning.