Background to this inspection
Updated
29 February 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
This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats.
Some people receiving care from Rutland House Community Trust lived in the same house. People’s housing was provided under separate contractual agreements. This inspection looked at people’s personal care and support.
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 a short period notice of the inspection. This was because the service is small, and people are often out. We wanted to be sure people and staff would be available to speak with us.
Inspection activity started on 4 February 2020 and ended on 7 February 2020. We visited the office location and people on 4 February 2020 and made calls to relatives and staff on the 6 and 7 February 2020.
What we did before the inspection
We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from Healthwatch. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England. 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 this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We spoke with four people and two relatives about their experience of the care provided. We also received feedback electronically from one relative.
Some people we spoke with had limited communication abilities. We spent time observing interactions between staff and five people to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk fully with us. We spoke with four members of staff including the registered manager, care staff and senior care staff.
We reviewed a range of records. This included two people’s care records and one medicine record. We looked at two staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including audits and accident and incident records were reviewed.
After the inspection
We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We received copies of meeting minutes, surveys, policies and training data.
Updated
29 February 2020
About the service
Rutland House Community Trust is a domiciliary care service registered to provide personal care to young adults and older people with a learning disability or autism, a physical disability, sensory impairment or dementia. People were supported in their own homes. Nine people were receiving personal care at the time of the inspection.
CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also consider any wider social care provided.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
Quality assurance systems and processes enabled the registered manager to identify areas for improvement. We have made a recommendation about reviewing audits. The service regularly sought feedback from people about their care experience to ensure any issues were promptly addressed.
The registered manager was passionate about providing person-centred care. They knew people well as they were involved in care delivery. A relative said of the registered manager, “You couldn't wish for anyone better, she's absolutely very wonderful. If you leave a message she always calls back and is always pleasant and approachable.”
People received care from staff that were kind, caring and compassionate. Staff ensured people’s health, emotional and social wellbeing needs were met. People and staff had built positive relationships together and enjoyed spending time in each other’s company. People’s diversity was respected and embraced. Staff were open to people of all faiths and beliefs and people’s privacy and dignity was respected.
The service supported people to express their views, preferences, wishes and choices. Staff took time to find out about people’s hobbies and interests and supported them to engage in these, while promoting people’s independence.
The service was flexible and responsive to people’s individual needs and preferences. People knew how to raise a concern or make a complaint and felt confident this would be addressed.
People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the
least restrictive ways possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. People were supported to eat and drink enough and to attend healthcare appointments as needed.
People were supported by staff that kept them safe from harm or abuse. People received medicines on time and were supported by staff that had been safely recruited. Staff had a good knowledge of risks associated with providing people’s care and received training relevant to people’s needs.
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 07 September 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.