Archived: Masons Hill

Updated 30 November 2017

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, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a fresh rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This was an unannounced inspection carried out by a single inspector.

Before the inspection we looked at the information we held about the service including any notifications they had sent us. A notification is information about important events that the provider is required to send us by law. The provider completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to provide some key information about the service, what the service does well and any improvements they plan to make. We asked the local authority who commissions the service for their views about it. We also sent questionnaires to people, their relatives and health professionals. We used this information to inform our inspection planning.

At the inspection we spoke with three people using the service and asked them for their views about the support they received. We observed support workers and people interacting and checked the care and support provided met their needs. We spoke with two support workers, two senior support workers and the registered manager.

We looked at three care records of people who used the service and two staff records. We also looked at records related to the management of the service such as staff training records, minutes of meetings and audits. After the inspection we spoke with two relatives of people using the service. We also asked four health and social care professionals for their views about the service.

Updated 30 November 2017

111, Masons Hill provides support and personal care for up to six people, some of whom have learning disabilities and or mental health needs in a supported living service. This service provides care and support to people so they can live in their own home as independently as possible. People’s care and housing is provided under separate agreements. CQC does not regulate premises used for supported living and so this inspection looked at people’s personal care and support. On the day of the inspection there were five people at the service and the sixth person living there was away on holiday.

At our last inspection of the service on 15 June 2015 the service was rated good overall and outstanding in well led. At this inspection on 7 September 2017 we found the service was now Outstanding in responsive and remained Outstanding in well led. It is now rated Outstanding overall. It continues to be rated Good in the other key question areas.

The same registered manager remained in post; a registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

At this inspection we found the service was outstanding in empowering people to have as much control over their lives as possible and achieve to the maximum potential. People’s care was noticeably consistently personalised to their needs. Relatives told us they felt the service was highly personalised and that the staff team worked well to deliver an excellent level of care. Feedback from health and social care professionals commented on the very personalised care provided. We observed there was a strong culture of supporting and promoting people’s strengths and diverse needs. The service had been nominated by the local authority for awards in successive years; including one of the provider’s social inclusion awards.

People had a personalised, assessed and written plan of support which they were involved in making. There were regular key worker sessions to consider any changes to the support provided and to encourage people to set and work towards their goals and ambitions. This plan reflected their needs and was in a format that enabled them to understand the plan for their care more effectively. People were provided with a range of suitable activities to encourage social inclusion and develop life skills.

The leadership of the service remained rated outstanding. The feedback from people, health and social are professionals continued to be overwhelmingly positive and distinctive. The local authority had nominated the registered manager and the service for a manager’s award. The staff team commented on how well the registered manager ran the service and was a positive role model and leader. The registered manager maintained a strong culture of respect, inclusion and empowerment for people at the service. The service had an open approach to feedback and sought the views of people, their relatives and professionals on a regular basis to consider any changes that needed to be made.

The Chief Executive took an active leadership role in encouraging and monitoring services to develop distinctive personalised care, promote choice and increase social inclusion. There were a number of initiatives to promote people's well-being which included running specific training courses, an annual sports event and annual awards ceremony. The provider held events to encourage closer working with families and encouraged a culture of continual learning and development for staff and families through events that involved professionals and experts in their field.

There were systems to monitor the quality of the service and identify any areas for action. Staff felt well supported in their roles. People, their relatives and professionals were regularly asked for their views in a number of different ways and the registered manager considered any improvements that could be made.

People and their relatives said the staff team remained very caring and kind, and, we observed warm and positive relationships. People were treated with respect and dignity and were involved in decisions about their care. People continued to be asked for their consent before care was provided and staff were aware of their responsibilities under the Mental Capacity Act (2005) and DoLS. Staff received a range of suitable training and support to carry out their roles.

People’s dietary needs were met and their independence was encouraged. People had health care plans in a format they could understand. The service continued to work closely and proactively with health professionals to ensure people’s changing health needs were addressed.

People and their relatives told us they remained safe and well supported at the service. Support workers had received training on safeguarding adults, so they could recognise the signs of possible abuse. Accidents and incidents were safely managed. There were robust arrangements to deal with a range of emergencies if needed. Possible risks to people were identified and guidance was in place to reduce risk. The service also maintained a positive attitude to risk taking to enhance the quality of people’s lives. People continued to receive their medicines when they should and staff had received training on the safe administration of medicines. Adequate staffing levels were maintained to meet people’s needs and the provider followed safe recruitment policies.