Hamilton House

Updated 18 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

One inspector visited the service.

Service and service type

Hamilton House 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 service did not have a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This meant the provider is legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

The inspection visit took place on 19 November 2019 and 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 commissioners who work to find appropriate care and support services for people and fund the care provided. We had not received, at the time of the inspection visit, the information the provider sends to 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. We therefore asked for additional information from the manager, whilst we conducted our inspection.

During the inspection

Due to their complex needs, some people were unable to talk with us about the care they received, or the quality of the service provided. Therefore, we used other methods to understand what it was like to live at Hamilton House. For example, we observed how staff supported people to help us understand people's experiences of living at the home.

We spoke with five members of staff including the new manager, a service manager and a team leader.

We reviewed two people's care records to ensure they were reflective of their needs. We looked at two people's medicine administration records. We reviewed records relating to the management of the service such as quality audits and monitoring reports.

Following our visit

We received feedback from two relatives about the support their relation received. We also received feedback from an additional member of staff.

Updated 18 December 2019

About the service

Hamilton House is a residential care home providing personal care and accommodation for younger people with learning disabilities and autism. The service was a domestic style property registered to support up to six people. Six people were using the service during our inspection visit.

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

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 received personalised care in a safe way. Relatives felt people were safe living at the home. Safeguarding procedures were in place to protect people. Staff were recruited safely, and enough staff were on duty to provide safe care during our visit. Staff had the skills they needed to support people.

Risks associated with people's care and support were assessed. Detailed risk management plans helped staff to manage and reduce risks. The home was clean and tidy during our visit and the environment met people's needs.

There was not a current registered manager at the home at the time of our visit, however, the manager had applied to be registered with us. The leadership of the service had been maintained since our last inspection. Completed audits and checks demonstrated good governance and effective risk management. The provider and their management team demonstrated commitment to learning lessons when things went wrong. People and relatives were treated as active partners in their care. People's care plans contained detailed information about their individual goals and guidance for staff to support people in achieving them.

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 June 2018).

Why we inspected

This was a focussed inspection to assure ourselves the service was meeting people’s needs, that staff had the necessary skills and experience and the management processes were effective. We reviewed the key questions of safe and well led only.

We reviewed the information we held about the service. No areas of concern were identified in the other Key Questions. We therefore did not inspect them. Ratings from previous comprehensive inspections for those Key Questions were used in calculating the overall rating at this inspection. The overall rating for the service has not changed and remains good overall. This is based on the findings at this inspection.

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.