About the service Hazel Homes for Autism is a residential care home providing personal care to three young adults with learning disabilities and autism at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to five people in one adapted building.
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 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 provider assessed and managed risks to people well, producing personalised risk management plans that allowed people to take positive risks while protecting them from harm. When things did go wrong, the provider learned from this to improve risk management plans. The provider made sure the premises were safe to use, clean and hygienic. There were robust systems and processes to protect people from the risks of being abused or by being cared for by unsuitable staff. Medicines were managed appropriately and there were enough staff to care for people safely.
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 building was sufficiently adapted to meet people’s needs without overly restricting their freedom. Staff provided care to people only with their consent or in line with legal requirements around mental capacity and decision making. The provider sought expert advice from appropriately qualified professionals to make sure people’s needs were assessed and care was planned in line with best practice. People received the healthcare support they needed, and their eating and drinking needs were met. Staff received the training and support they needed to provide effective care.
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. Staff supported people to develop their daily living skills. They gave people information in ways they could understand to help them make choices about how to live their lives. Staff knew people well, treated them with kindness and respect, and promoted equality, privacy and dignity.
People received highly personalised care because the provider gathered detailed information about them and used this to plan their care. This included information about their support needs, preferences, religious and cultural needs and family relationships. People were able to choose from a variety of activities at home and in the community. People received accessible information in appropriate formats for them. The provider responded appropriately to complaints.
We have made a recommendation about recording people’s preferences around end of life care. This is best practice in case a person using the service dies suddenly.
The service had a person-centred culture where leaders promoted equality and inclusion. The registered manager made sure staff were well supported and aware of their responsibilities. The provider sought feedback from people, relatives, staff and other professionals, and used this to continuously improve the service. They completed a number of checks to make sure they were providing a high quality service.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection
This service was registered with us on 27/09/2018 and this is the first inspection.
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the date of registration.
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.