Archived: Ruskin Mill College

Updated 10 December 2019

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 two inspectors.

Service and service type

Ruskin Mill College is a specialist residential college. People 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 service also provides a shared lives scheme. They recruit, train and support self-employed shared lives carers (SLC) who offer accommodation and support arrangements for vulnerable adults within their own family homes in the community.

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

This inspection was unannounced.

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 and professionals who work with the service. 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 eight people who used the service and four relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with eleven members of staff including the provider, registered manager, residential and house managers, senior care workers and care workers. We also spoke with two shared lives providers about their experience of working with the service.

We reviewed a range of records. This included eight people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at eight staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

After the inspection

We spoke with four professionals who regularly visit the service.

Updated 10 December 2019

Ruskin Mill College is a specialist residential college providing personal and nursing care to 21 people, and a shared lives service to 9 young people with learning disabilities at the time of the inspection. A shared lives scheme provides people with long-term placements, short breaks and respite care, within shared lives carers (SLC) own homes. The service can support up to 40 people.

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 that 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.

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

The vision of Ruskin Mill was to promote a service wherein ‘each individual has the potential to shape their own future through experiencing meaningful relationships with the universe, earth and people.’ The service’s values were based around inclusive learning, mutual respect and, treating individuals with dignity and respect.

All staff and senior management demonstrated this clear vision and a highly positive person-centred culture was seen throughout. Staff had set high standards for themselves and this promoted an exceptionally positive culture which challenged disability perceptions, improved the confidence of people and had very positive impacts on the lives of the people using the service. Throughout the inspection, we found people and staff were motivated and passionate about equality and empowering people to live the lives they want.

Young people and their shared lives carers spoke overwhelmingly of the positive support, guidance and healthcare interventions people had received. They were full of praise for the staff in terms of their kindness and compassion. People were 'very happy' with the service they received. We received positive comments about their views and experiences. Young people told us they felt safe because of the staff and viewed the staff as experts in their knowledge and skills when supporting people with complex needs.

Young people were supported by staff who had received exceptional training and support to carry out their role. The provider had considered and implemented creative methods for staff to truly understand the experiences of young people when they were staying at Ruskin Mill College. Young 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’s focus on challenging expectations and misconceptions had led to excellent outcomes for young people. Staff told us how the ethos of the service was that disabilities should never be considered a barrier to opportunities for people. Throughout our inspection we heard comments from young people about their future aspirations and the support staff gave them to achieve these. These included “The staff have been great and have made me realise all the things I can do’’, “I am so much more independent than when I first arrived”, ‘‘The support I get is excellent’’, and “I am very excited about starting my new job.”

The service excelled in understanding the needs of young people and supporting them to gain skills which would lead to employment opportunities Staff worked hard to make sure, that where it was possible, people had opportunities to lead as full a life as possible. They made sure learning opportunities were tailored to meet people's individual needs, preferences and abilities. Staff made sure young people had opportunities to enjoy themselves. People's suggestions and ideas were sought and valued when it came to planning the direction of the service.

The registered manager and extended leadership team offered exceptional leadership and had a clear vision about the direction of the service. They were highly committed to improving young people's lives and ensuring they had the best care they could receive. They expected the same high standards from the staff who were also committed to these shared values. The management team were very much part of the overall care team at Ruskin Mill. They were very involved in people's care, visible and approachable. Staff working at the service clearly understood their role and worked hard to promote a homely atmosphere.

There was a robust quality assurance system in place to ensure people received the best possible service. Young people were empowered to take an active part in assessing the quality and performance of the service. The registered manager and provider worked closely with partner agencies and services to promote best practice within the service and make a positive impact to young people’s lives. The service was constantly striving to innovate to ensure they were providing the best possible care to the people they were supporting. The registered manager had developed a strong leadership team within the service to ensure the high standards implemented were sustained in their absence.

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 CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was good (published 24 February 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

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.