Aylestone

Updated 3 August 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 one inspector and a Specialist Advisor (the Specialist Advisor had experience working and caring for people whose behaviour was challenging and who had a learning disability and/or autism.

Service and service type

Heathcotes Aylestone 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 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 announced.

We gave the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because the service is small and people are often out. We wanted to provide an opportunity for staff to inform people of our site visit.

What we did before the inspection

The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report.

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority who commission with the service. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spent time with people who use the service. We spoke with the registered manager, regional manager and three support workers who provided people’s support and care.

We reviewed a range of records. This included three people’s records and multiple medication records. We looked at three 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 a parent of four of the people who use the service, by telephone on the 3 and 4 July 2019, to seek their views and experiences of the service on behalf of their son or daughter.

We looked at additional requested information sent to us by the registered manager, which included information as to staff’s competence to administer medicine and audits carried out by the provider.

Updated 3 August 2019

About the service

Heathcotes Aylestone is a residential care home.

The service was a large home, bigger than most domestic style properties. It was registered for the support of up to seven people and seven people were using the service. This is larger than current best practice guidance. However. the size of the service having a negative impact on people was mitigated by the building design fitting into the residential area and the other large domestic homes of a similar size. There were deliberately no identifying signs, intercom, cameras or anything else outside to indicate it was a care home. Staff were also discouraged from wearing anything that suggested they were care staff when coming and going with people.

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

People were safe at the service and family members trusted and had confidence in staff. Staff knew how to minimise risks to people and followed good practice guidance as detailed within their risk assessments. People were supported by sufficient numbers of staff who had undergone a robust recruitment process. People had their medicines safely when they needed them. People lived in a service which was maintained and clean.

People’s needs were met by staff who had the necessary skills and knowledge and were supported through ongoing training and supervision to enable them to provide good quality care. Staff promoted people’s health by supporting people to access health care services and by encouraging people to eat a healthy diet.

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.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their life 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.

Family members spoke favourably about staff and the positive and supportive relationships they had developed with their relative. Staff supported people to maintain relationships with their family members. Staff communicated effectively with people to enable them to meet their needs.

People’s relatives were involved in their care and support. Staff responded to people’s needs by following their individual support plans, which reflected their hobbies and interests and encouraged people to access a wide range of community based activities.

Family members and staff were positive about the appointment of a registered manager and the continued development of the service, which followed a period of managerial changes. The registered manager was aware of their role and responsibilities in meeting their legal obligations and were supported by staff from other departments of the provider to achieve these. Systems to monitor the quality of the service were used to drive improvement and included seeking the views of people, family members and stakeholders.

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 on 6 April 2018.

Why we inspected

This was a planned 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.