Downview Residential Home

Updated 28 June 2019

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team:

The inspection was completed by one inspector and an assistant inspector.

Service and service type:

This service is a care home. It provides care for people living with a learning difficulty, autism and behaviours which challenge. Younger adults receive care and support at the service.

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:

We gave the service four days’ notice of the inspection visit because the service provided care and support to people who were not accustomed to having strangers enter their home. We did not wish to cause them any unnecessary distress.

What we did:

Before the inspection the provider sent us a Provider Information Return. Providers are required to send us key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We reviewed information we held about the service, for example, statutory notifications. A notification is information about important events which the provider is required to tell us about by law.

During the site visit we spoke with six people, the registered manager, the service owner and a member of care staff. We also observed people receiving care and support. We reviewed four people’s care plans and medicines administration records. We also reviewed the staff rota, staff training matrix, audits related to quality and safety in the service, health and safety records, policies for infection control, medicines, complaints and safeguarding as well as three staff recruitment files.

After the site visit we spoke with three members of care staff and two relatives. We also reviewed additional evidence sent to us by the provider including details of their assessment processes and evidence of people’s engagement in the community.

Updated 28 June 2019

About the service:

Downview Residential Home is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. The Care Quality Commission regulates both the premises and the care provided. Both were looked at during this inspection. At the time of our inspection there were seven people living in the service.

The service supported people with learning disabilities, autism and people who displayed behaviours which challenge. Staff did not wear anything that suggested they were care staff when coming and going with people.

People’s experience of using this service:

We received positive feedback about the service and the care people received. The service met the characteristics of good in the areas of safe, effective, caring and responsive and requires improvement in well-led.

The outcomes for people using the service reflected the principles and values of Registering the Right Support in the following ways:

People were encouraged and supported to make choices about their care and support. Staff used individualised communication techniques to support people to express themselves.

People were supported and encouraged to maintain their independence through engaging in activities of their choice.

People's support focused on them having as many opportunities as possible for them to gain new skills and become more independent.

Quality assurance processes were in place to monitor and improve safety and quality in the service. However, these processes were not always consistent.

Staff roles and responsibilities were clear. There was a positive, open and empowering culture in the service.

People received safe care. Medicines were managed safely and there were enough staff to support people and keep them safe both in the home and in the community.

People were supported by skilled staff with the right knowledge and training.

Staff had respectful, caring relationships with people they supported. They respected people’s dignity and privacy and promoted their independence.

People’s care and support met their needs and reflected their preferences. The provider upheld people’s human rights.

Rating at last inspection:

This is the first inspection of the service since its registration under a new provider.

Why we inspected:

This was a planned inspection of the service based our published timeframes.

Follow up:

We did not identify any concerns at this inspection. We will therefore re-inspect this service within the published timeframe for services rated good. We will continue to monitor the service through the information we receive.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk