Barclay Street

Updated 28 October 2020

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

This was a targeted inspection looking at the infection control and prevention measures the provider has in place. As part of CQC’s response to the coronavirus pandemic we are conducting a thematic review of infection control and prevention measures in care homes.

This inspection took place on 20 October 2020 and was announced. The service was selected to take part in this thematic review which is seeking to identify examples of good practice in infection prevention and control.

Updated 28 October 2020

About the service

Barclay Street was a large home, bigger than most domestic style properties. It was registered before the Registering the Right Principles were adopted. The service supports up to seven people and six 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. 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.

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 outcomes that include control, choice and independence.

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

People were safe at the service and trusted and had confidence in staff. Staff knew how to minimise risks to people and followed good practice guidance as detailed within 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, and their home environment had improved, and was maintained and clean.

Governance systems, including quality assurance policies and practices, were now embedded to ensure good outcomes for people. Systems to monitor the quality of the service were used to drive improvement, and included seeking the views of people, family members and stakeholders.

The registered manager was aware of their role and responsibilities in meeting legal obligations, and was supported by the head of service to achieve these.

People’s needs were assessed and kept under review with consideration to best practice guidance. People were supported by staff who had the necessary skills and knowledge. Staff received ongoing support through training and supervision, to enable them to provide good quality care. Staff promoted people’s health, and people used health care services. People were encouraged to eat a healthy diet which supported their needs and choices.

Positive relationships had developed between people and staff, which provided an open and supportive environment for people to share their views, and receive the support they required with their day to day lives.

The service consistently 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. This was achieved as the nominated individual, registered manager and staff worked collaboratively with other partner agencies and community services to promote an inclusive culture for younger people and adults with disabilities.

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was requires improvement (published 19 February 2019) and there were two breaches of the regulations. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve. At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

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.