Creative Support - The Houghtons

Updated 4 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. 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

This inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Service and service type

Creative Support - The Houghtons is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, both were looked at during this inspection.

The service did not have a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that the provider was legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since it was registered with CQC. This included information sent to us by the provider or shared with us by the local authority. 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.

During the inspection

People had complex needs that meant they were not able to tell us about their experience of the service. We observed how staff interacted with and supported people in communal areas of the service. This helped us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us.

We spoke with four staff including two care staff, one senior care staff and one of the provider’s registered managers who supported us with the inspection. This was because the manager of the service was away at a conference. We spoke with one relative and a further two relatives by telephone.

We reviewed a range of records. This included care records for two people and six medicines records. We looked at two staff files to review the provider’s recruitment, training and staff supervision processes. We also looked at a variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures, and audits.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found and information shared with us by the local authority. We looked at further quality assurance records and evidence that a variety of food was ordered and delivered regularly.

Updated 4 December 2019

About the service:

Creative Support - The Houghtons is a care home registered to support up to six people with physical and learning disabilities. The accommodation is provided in a one-level, bungalow style premises which provided easy access for people using wheelchairs. At the time of the inspection, six people were living at the service.

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:

Relatives told us people lived in a caring and supportive environment. Staff were kind and caring, and motivated to provide care in a way that ensured people were happy and content. One relative said, “On the whole, [person] gets good care, and I’m quite pleased.” However, improvements were required in how staff supported a person with complex health needs. More staff needed to be trained to support the person effectively.

People were protected from harm by staff who were trained to identify and report concerns. People were safe because potential risks to their health and wellbeing had been managed well. There were enough staff to support people safely. People were supported to take their medicines. Lessons were learnt from incidents to prevent recurrence. Staff followed processes to prevent the spread of infections.

Detailed care plans ensured staff had information to help them to meet people’s assessed needs. People had been supported to have enough to eat and drink. People had access to healthcare services when required, and this helped them to maintain their health and well-being.

Staff were respectful in how they interacted with people and supported them. They understood people’s individual communication methods and they ensured they gave people information in ways they could understand. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible. The policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

The provider had systems to assess and monitor the quality of the service. The manager and staff were motivated to provide the best service they could for people and their relatives. The manager was aware of the concerns raised about the quality of one person’s care and they were keen to take steps to improve this.

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 30/04/2019 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected:

We inspected the service early because of the requires improvement rating from the last inspection with the previous provider.

Follow up:

We have found evidence that the provider needs to make improvements. Please see the Effective and Well-led sections of this full report. We will return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.