Clayhall House

Updated 21 June 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. 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:

There was one inspector.

Service and service type:

This service provides care and support to people living in a ‘supported living’ setting, so that they can live as independently as possible. People’s care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. CQC does not regulate premises used for supported living; this inspection looked at people’s personal care and support.

Notice of inspection:

We gave the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection site visit because the service is small and people are often out and we wanted to be sure there would be people at home to speak with us. Inspection site visit activity started on 8 May 2019 and ended on the same day.

What we did

Before inspection we looked at:

The 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 also wrote to the local authority and asked them for feedback on the service.

During and after inspection:

We spoke with two people who used the service. We also spoke with two relatives. We looked at three people’s care records, records of safeguarding, accidents, incidents, complaints, audits and quality assurance reports. We spoke with four members of staff; two carers, the registered manager and one director of the service.

Updated 21 June 2019

About the service

Clayhall House is a ‘supported living’ service and is registered to provide the regulated activity of personal care to people living in their own home. At the time of the inspection three people were being provided with a service.

People’s experience of using this service

The principles and values of Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance ensure people with a learning disability and or autism who use a service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best outcomes that include control, choice and independence. At this inspection the provider had ensured they were applied. The outcomes for people using the service reflected the principles and values of Registering the Right Support in the following ways; people's support focused on them having opportunities to, remain, and become more independent.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff did support them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service did support this practice. However, mental capacity documentation, that ensured people's decision making rights were upheld, were not always completed correctly. There were no consent to care agreements in place at the time of the inspection. The registered manager rectified these issues upon being informed. We have made a recommendation around recording consent.

Staff were aware of their responsibilities with regard to abuse. The service had safeguarding systems in place. There were risk assessments in place to monitor and record risks to people. There were sufficient numbers of staff to care for people. There were robust recruitment practices in place. Medicines were managed safely. Staff knew about infection control. Lessons were learned when things went wrong.

People's needs were assessed before they started using the service. Staff received induction, training and supervision in their roles. People were supported to eat and drink. Staff recorded their care activities and shared them appropriately with other agencies. People were supported to access proper health care services.

People and relatives told us staff were caring and knew their jobs. There were policies and documentation to support equal opportunities. People's views and preferences were captured in care plans. Where beneficial or required, people’s relatives were involved in care plan reviews. People’s privacy and dignity were upheld and their independence promoted.

People’s needs and preferences were recorded in care plans. These highlighted goals and outcomes people wanted to achieve and work towards with the support of the service. People were supported to attend activities. People and relatives were aware of their right to complain. No one at the service was at the end of their life but the service told us they were capable to support people should the need arise.

The registered manager had not completed a statutory notification, but did so upon our request following the inspection. Staff were aware of their responsibilities. The director and registered manager had plans to increase care at the service, with input from people. There were new quality assurance measures the service was going to implement; we saw a variety of audits and checks that ensured the quality and safety of the service was monitored. Staff thought highly of the management. People, relatives and staff were engaged in the service through regular meetings. The service had forged links with the local community and worked with others.

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 had not previously been inspected as it was a new service having been registered in June 2018.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection that was part of our inspection schedule. We inspected the service because it was under a new registration. All newly registered services are inspected within 12 months of their registration.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received we may inspect sooner.