Yew Tree

Updated 14 February 2024

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 Health and Social Care Act 2008.

Inspection team

The inspection team consisted of 1 inspector.

Service and service type

Yew Tree is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing and/or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement dependent on their registration with us. Yew Tree is a care home without nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

The inspection was announced. We gave the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make.

We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

The person using the service had limited verbal communication. We observed and heard interactions between them and the support staff during the inspection. We spoke with the person’s relative.

We spoke with 7 members of staff including the registered manager, team leader, support workers, the providers quality director and health and safety manager. We also spoke with 3 professionals who worked with the service.

We reviewed a range of records, including care plans and medication records. We looked at two staff files in relation to recruitment. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including quality assurance, complaints, incident reports and safeguarding were reviewed.

Updated 14 February 2024

About the service

Yew Tree is a residential care home providing accommodation and personal care. Yew Tree is registered for up to 2 people; however, the home is set up to meet the needs of 1 person. The service provides support to a person with complex needs who has a learning disability and autism.

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: Yew Tree is located in a rural location, within easy reach of local shops and amenities. There were enough staff to meet the person’s care and support needs and support them to take part in activities of their choice. Staff were safely recruited and completed the training required to carry out their roles.

The person was 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 knew how people communicated their needs and choices.

Right Care: The person’s support needs were assessed and regularly reviewed. Person-centred care records identified people’s preferences, support needs and potential risks. Guidance was provided to manage these risks. A specialist in positive behaviour support supported the staff team to understand the person’s behaviours and agree strategies to reduce their anxieties.

People were supported to maintain their health and wellbeing. People received their medicines as prescribed. The home had been adapted to better meet the needs of the person, as staff now did not have to go through their living space when accessing other parts of the home.

Relatives were positive about the care and support provided and said the staff team were extremely dedicated to the person’s support and wellbeing. Staff respected people’s privacy and dignity. They understood and responded to people’s individual needs.

Right Culture: Relatives were involved in agreeing and reviewing the person’s care. Relatives said there was good communication with the home. An advocate supported the person and was able to advocate on their behalf. Staff enjoyed working at Yew Tree and felt listened to by the registered manager. A quality assurance system was in place. Actions were completed where any issues had been identified.

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 11 November 2017.

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.