23 Valley Road

Updated 23 February 2022

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. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

As part of this inspection we looked at the infection control and prevention measures in place. This included checking the provider was meeting COVID-19 vaccination requirements. This was conducted so we can understand the preparedness of the service in preventing or managing an infection outbreak, and to identify good practice we can share with other services.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Service and service type

23 Valley Road 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, and both were looked at during this inspection.

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

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

The provider was not asked to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR) prior to this inspection. A PIR is information providers send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection, we used this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We met all the people living at 23 Valley Road, we spoke with three people and two people shared detailed feedback with us. We spoke with five staff members including the regional manager, deputy manager and three care staff. We reviewed a range of records. This included three people's care records and four people's medicines records. We looked at four staff files in relation to recruitment. We also looked at records that related to the management and quality assurance of the service.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at quality assurance records. We reviewed feedback the provider had received from two relatives.

Updated 23 February 2022

About the service

23 Valley Road is a residential care home providing personal care to four people at the time of the inspection. The provider is registered to accommodate up to five people and there are multiple shared spaces for people to access. They predominately support people living with learning disabilities and / or autism and mental health conditions.

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

People told us they felt safe and liked living at the home. People knew who they could talk to if they had any worries or concerns. There were appropriate policies and systems in place to protect people from abuse. Staff knew how to recognise abuse and protect people. People were involved in managing their own risks whenever possible. Staff anticipated and managed risk in a person-centred way, there was a culture of positive risk taking.

Risks to people were mostly recorded in their care plans. However, care plans and risk assessments had not always been updated to reflect changes in people’s support. The provider had identified this and were prioritising updating records. Staff demonstrated their knowledge of people and how to support them to manage their individual risks. Fire systems, maintenance, and services were in place, with checks in relation to health and safety. However, we found that these checks were not always consistently completed. During the inspection the provider took action to address this.

We were assured that the provider effectively managed or prevented infection outbreaks. People told us they were able to contact their family members and friends when they wanted to. The provider facilitated visits for people living in the home in accordance with government guidance.

People and staff told us there were enough staff to meet people’s needs. We observed safe staffing levels throughout the inspection and staff appeared unhurried and responsive to people. Safe recruitment processes were in place.

People received the correct medicines at the right time. Staff mostly followed systems and processes to safely administer, record and store medicines. People received care and support which met their needs. People had confidence in the ability of staff and felt they were well trained. People told us they were supported to access healthcare services when they needed it.

People were able to input into choosing their food and planning their meals. People told us they chose their food, planned meals and ate and drank when they wanted. People told us they had been involved in the decoration of the service. We found that there was some required maintenance that once completed would enhance the environment.

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. Staff were knowledgeable about how to protect people's human rights. During the inspection we observed staff respecting people’s decisions.

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee autistic people and people with a learning disability the choices, dignity, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. Right support, right care, right culture is the statutory guidance which supports CQC to make assessments and judgements about services providing support to people with a learning disability and/or autistic people.

The service was able to demonstrate how they were meeting the underpinning principles of right support, right care, right culture. The ethos, values, attitudes and behaviours of the management and staff provided support in the way each person preferred and enabled them to make meaningful choices. The needs and quality of life of people formed the basis of the culture at the service. Staff undertook their role in making sure that people were always put first. They provided care that was genuinely person-centred and directed by each person.

People were positive about the quality of care and support they received. People told us they were involved in making decisions about their care, were treated with respect and their privacy was respected. People, and those important to them, could raise concerns and complaints easily and staff supported them to do so.

We observed staff were friendly and caring when supporting people. Staff spoke with genuine warmth, empathy and compassion when referring to the people they cared for. Staff understood people’s different communication support needs.

The provider's vision and values focused on person-centeredness, being passionate about making a difference to people's lives and ensuring positive outcomes for people. We observed that staff understood and cared for people in a manner that was in keeping with these principles.

People, and those important to them, worked with managers and staff to develop and improve the service. There were a number of systems and processes in place for monitoring the quality of care and used to plan improvements. Where issues were identified remedial action was taken. Staff felt respected, supported and valued.

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

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was requires improvement (published 24 May 2021).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating. We undertook this inspection to provide assurance that the service is applying the principles of right support, right care and right culture.

We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively. This included checking the provider was meeting COVID-19 vaccination requirements.

You can read the report from our last inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for 23 Valley Road on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.