37 Coleraine Road

Updated 20 April 2018

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 14 and 19 March 2018 and was unannounced. The inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Prior to our inspection, we reviewed information we held about the service, including notifications sent to us at the Care Quality Commission. A notification is information about important events which the service is required to send us by law. We used information the provider gave us during the inspection in the Provider Information Return. This is information we require providers to send us at least once annually to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We contacted the local authorities and healthcare professionals about their views of the quality of care delivered by the service.

During the inspection, we met three people living at the residential care home and spoke to three people using the supported living services. We spent time observing interactions between people and the staff who were supporting them. We spoke with the registered manager, the director, the team leader and four care staff. We looked at two care plans and four staff personnel files including recruitment, training and supervision records, and staff rotas. We also reviewed the service's accidents and incidents, safeguarding and complaints records, care delivery records and medicines administration records for people using the service.

Following our inspection visit, we spoke to two relatives and two healthcare professionals. We also reviewed documents provided to us after the inspection. These included policies and procedures, two people’s care plans, risk assessments, positive behaviour support plan, person centred plan, people’s record of achievements and photos, building maintenance improvement plan, internal audits and the last management monitoring visit report.

Updated 20 April 2018

The inspection took place on 14 and 19 March 2018 and was unannounced. The service was last inspected on 9 March 2017, where we found the provider to be in breach of one regulation in relation to good governance. At the inspection on 14 and 19 March 2018, we found that the provider had made sufficient improvements and were no longer in breach of a legal requirement.

37 Coleraine Road is registered to provide accommodation and personal care support for up to four people with a learning disability, autistic spectrum disorder, younger adults and mental health needs. The service is set in an adapted house providing accommodation to people over three floors. The ground floor communal areas comprise of a kitchen, a dining room and a living room. At the time of our inspection, four people were living at the service.

37 Coleraine Road is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

The provider is also registered at this location to provide personal care support. This service provides care and support to people living in two ‘supported living’ settings, so that they can live in their own home as independently as possible. People’s care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. CQC does not regulate premises used for supported living; this inspection looked at people’s personal care and support. At the time of our inspection, seven people were using the service.

The care service has been developed and designed in line with the values that underpin the Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These values include choice, promotion of independence and inclusion. People with learning disabilities and autism using the service can live as ordinary a life as any citizen.

The service had a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission 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.

People and their relatives told us they felt safe with staff and there were enough staff to meet their needs. Staff were trained in safeguarding and knew how to safeguard people against harm and abuse. People’s risk assessments were individualised, regularly reviewed and gave sufficient information to staff on how to provide safe care. Staff kept detailed records of people’s accidents and incidents, and the registered manager analysed the records to learn lessons from them to reduce similar future incidents. These lessons were shared with staff during staff meetings, handovers and supervision. Staff wore appropriate protection equipment to prevent the risk of spread of infection. The premises adaptations met health and safety and people’s individual needs.

Staff knew people’s individual needs and were provided adequate training to meet those needs. Staff told us they felt supported by the registered manager and received regular supervision. People were supported to meet their dietary needs and told us they liked the food. Staff assisted and supported people to access ongoing healthcare services to maintain healthier lives. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible. The policies and systems in the service supported this practice. Staff understood people’s right to choices and asked their permission before providing care.

People told us staff were caring and respected their privacy. Staff knew how to support people in a dignified way and treated everyone equally. People were supported and encouraged to remain independent. Staff knew the importance of confidentiality.

Staff were aware of people’s likes and dislikes and found people’s care plans useful in providing personalise care. People’s care plans were detailed and regularly reviewed. Staff supported people in developing activity plans and to get involved in a range of activities. People and relatives were encouraged to raise concerns and their complaints were addressed satisfactorily in a timely manner. The provider had an ‘ageing and death’ policy in place but staff were not trained in end of life care. We have made a recommendation about staff training in end of life care.

People, their relatives and staff told us the management was approachable and the registered manager had made improvements. The provider had systems and processes in place to monitor and evaluate the quality and safety of the service. The registered manager worked with independent consultant in securing autism accreditation.