Henson Court

Updated 17 August 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 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

Two Inspectors and an Expert by Experience carried out the inspection. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

Henson Court 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.

This service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. 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. At the time of our inspection there was not a registered manager in post. There was an experienced manager at the service who was in the process of registering with CQC.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since registration with CQC. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with two people who used the service and three relatives about their experience of the care provided. People who were unable to talk with us used different ways of communicating including Makaton, pictures, photos, symbols, objects and their body language. We spoke with six members of staff including the Head of Residential Care, the manager, a Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) assistant and three support workers.

We reviewed a range of records. This included three people’s care records and three medication records. We looked at two staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed. We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at training data and quality assurance records. We contacted five social care professionals who regularly worked with the service.

Updated 17 August 2022

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices and independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ is the guidance CQC follows to make assessments and judgements about services supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people and providers must have regard to it.

About the service

Henson Court is a care home providing accommodation and personal care for up to six adults with learning disabilities and/or a variety of associated health and support needs. At the time of inspection, the service was supporting six people. People live in one large house.

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

Right Support

Relatives told us staff had not always communicated details of incidents with them, this included an incident of unexplained bruising. The provider’s incident management processes had not always effectively managed the risks to people or evidenced learning as a result. People and their families were involved in their care plans, including how to reduce the likelihood of the person becoming distressed, for example by understanding their need to understand their plan for the day. Staff had ensured a variety of supports were available to people including a written checklist and ‘now, then and next’ tools. People were encouraged to learn new skills and do things that were meaningful and excited them. People experienced choice and control over their lives and staff encouraged them to achieve their own levels of maximum independence. People’s diverse communication methods were understood, and staff were proactive in the way they actively involved people in all decisions about their support.

Right Care

Staff promoted equality and diversity in their support for people. They understood people’s cultural needs and provided culturally appropriate care. Some staff could communicate in a person’s native language and people’s diverse dietary needs were respected. People who had individual ways of communicating, using body language, sounds, Makaton (a form of sign language), pictures and symbols could interact comfortably with staff and others involved in their care and support because staff had the necessary skills to understand them. Staff communicated sensitively and used a variety of communication methods and observations of gestures and body language. Staff and people cooperated to assess risks people might face. Where appropriate, staff encouraged and enabled people to take positive risks. People had recently moved to this new service and the provider continued to work with people, relatives and professionals to manage the variety of new experiences open to people. Relatives told us how the initial transition process had started well, however, the level of communication had dipped for a while and they were consistently positive about how this had improved since the change of management at Henson Court.

Right culture

People were supported by staff who understood best practice in relation to the wide range of strengths, impairments or sensitivities people with a learning disability and/or autistic people may have. This meant people received compassionate and empowering care that was tailored to their needs. The newly appointed manager was focussed on positive outcomes for people and development of the staff team. The atmosphere in the service was relaxed and friendly with lots of fun and laughter being shared. Positive relationships between people and staff had been developed that were based on trust and respect. Staff knew and understood people well and were responsive, supporting their aspirations to live a quality life of their choosing. Relatives and professionals had spoken positively about the influence of the new manager and the impact they had on the quality of the service. People told us they were happy living at Henson Court and the staff knew how to support them when they were upset and were kind.

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 18 June 2021 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

We undertook this inspection to assess that the service is applying the principles of Right support right care right culture. This was a planned first inspection following registration with the Care Quality Commission (CQC). 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.

We have found evidence that the provider needs to make improvements. Please see the safe and well-led sections of this full report. You can see what action we have asked the provider to take at the end of this full report.

Enforcement

We are mindful of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our regulatory function. This meant we took account of the exceptional circumstances arising as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic when considering what enforcement action was necessary and proportionate to keep people safe as a result of this inspection. We will continue to monitor the service and will take further action if needed.

We have identified breaches in relation to safeguarding people from abuse and governance at this inspection.

Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.

Follow up

We will request an action plan from the provider to understand what they will do to improve the standards of quality and safety. We will work alongside the provider and local authority to monitor progress. We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.