Redcliffe House

Updated 31 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

Redcliffe House is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a 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

We gave the service 48 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 available to support the inspection. We also needed to give the provider enough time to explain, to the people living at the care home, that the inspector would be visiting.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with four people who used the service and observed interactions between staff and the people they were supporting. We spoke with five members of staff including the registered manager and care workers. We reviewed a range of records. This included four people’s care records and medication records. We looked at four staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service were reviewed.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at training data, policies and procedures and quality audits carried out by other agencies.

Updated 31 January 2020

Redcliffe House is a residential care home providing personal or nursing care for people who have learning disabilities or autistic spectrum support needs. The care home is an adapted building, and there were 8 people receiving a service at the time of the inspection.

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 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.

The service was a large home, bigger than most domestic style properties. It was registered for the support of up to 8 people. This is larger than current best practice guidance. However, the size of the service having a negative impact on people was mitigated by the building design fitting into the residential area. There were deliberately no identifying signs outside to indicate it was a care home. Staff were also discouraged from wearing anything that suggested they were care staff when coming and going with people.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

People lived in a care home that was safe and clean. Staff understood how to keep people safe from the risk of abuse; and knew how to raise any concerns with the appropriate authorities. Regular health and safety checks were carried out and the registered manager told us they would replace a shower we found to exceed safe hot water temperatures. Enough staff were employed to meet people’s needs, and the administration of people’s prescribed medicine was carried out safely.

People’s rights under the mental capacity act were respected. Some people were not at liberty to leave the care home without being supported by staff, and those restrictions had been authorised by the relevant authorities. However, some of those authorisations had been given on the basis that the care home could only be exited via key coded external doors, when that was not always the case. Staff received the necessary training and provided support that met people’s needs. The building had been adapted to meet people’s care needs and they were supported to eat and drink enough to meet their nutritional needs. Staff supported people to access healthcare services when needed.

People were well supported by compassionate staff who understood their needs, respected their privacy and maintained their dignity. People were supported to increase their skills and to express their views on the service they received.

People were supported to engage in meaningful activities which they chose. Care plans were detailed and guided staff on how to support people effectively. Staff supported people to maintain contacts with friends and family; and supported them to engage in activities within the local community.

People were supported to achieve outcomes which were important to them. The registered manager understood their responsibility to keep people safe and to be open and honest when things went wrong. Care staff understood their roles in providing the support that people needed. The care team worked in partnership with other agencies to continuously improve the quality of the service and to ensure people received the support they needed.

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.

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 website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was good (published 28 April 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.