Orchard Hill

Updated 30 December 2017

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 23 October 2017and was unannounced. The inspection was undertaken by one inspector.

Before the inspection we checked the information we held about the service including statutory notifications. A notification is information about important events which the provider is required to send us by law. We also contacted the health and social care commissioners who monitor the care and support of people living in the home.

During this inspection we spoke with three people living in the home and three members of staff including the registered manager. We also spoke to two relatives who were visiting the home at the time of our inspection.

We spent time observing the care that people living in the home received to help us understand the experiences of people living in the home. We reviewed the care records of three people and the recruitment records for three members of staff. We also reviewed records relating to the management and quality assurance of the service.

Updated 30 December 2017

Orchard Hill is a residential care home that supports people living with a learning disability. The home is registered to support up to four people. At the time of our inspection there were four people living in the home. This was the first comprehensive inspection of the service since it registered on 1 November 2016.

There was a registered manager in post. 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 could be assured that they would be supported by sufficient numbers of staff who knew them well. Risks to people had been assessed and staff supported people in a way that maintained their safety. People could be assured that they would receive their prescribed medicines safely.

People were safeguarded from harm as the provider had systems in place to prevent, recognise and report concerns to the relevant authorities. Staff were confident in recognising and raising concerns if they felt people were at risk.

Staff knew their responsibilities as defined by the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA 2005) and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) and had applied that knowledge appropriately. People were supported to make decisions for themselves and their consent was actively sought by staff.

Staff had access to the training and support that they needed to work effectively in their role. People were supported to maintain a healthy and balanced diet. People were supported to access healthcare services when they needed to.

People were supported by staff that treated them with dignity and respect. Staff knew people well and tailored the care and support they provided according to individuals preferences and interests.

People had detailed plans of care in place that were reflective of their support needs to guide staff in providing consistent person centred care and support.

The provider had systems in place to gather and act upon feedback from people. People could be assured that their complaints would be managed appropriately.

People were supported by a team of staff that had the managerial guidance and support they needed to carry out their roles. The quality of the service was monitored by the audits regularly carried out by the manager and by the provider.