Sutton Court

Updated 5 March 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 Care Act 2014.

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

Sutton 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.

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. The registered manager oversees three of the providers services and delegates some day to day management to the home manager who is full time at Sutton court.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. 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/communicated with eight people who live at Sutton court, three relatives about their experience of the care provided. Some people who use the service were unable to talk with us so we used different ways of communication including Makaton, their body language and observation.

We spoke with five members of staff including the registered manager and home manager and three support workers.

We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI) spent time observing people. SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us.

We reviewed a range of records. This included four people’s care records and eight 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.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at training data and quality assurance records. We spoke with two professionals who regularly visit the service.

Updated 5 March 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

Sutton Court is a residential care home for people living with a learning disability and autistic people. It is registered to provide personal care for up to 10 people. At the time of inspection eight people were living at the service.

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

Right Support

People and relatives told us staff supported people to take part in activities. One person said, “It’s better now, calmer, I do more things for myself.” Staff had adopted new approaches; People were supported to be involved in ordinary daily activities such as housework. It was clear that people were proud of their achievements and this change had improved their feelings of independence. At the last inspection people had little to do when at home, now they had more to occupy and interest them. People told us they were following their interests more and showed us examples of craft projects they had completed. People told us they were going out to leisure activities that interested them such as the theatre and to see a film they were keen on. The service gave people care and support in a safe, clean environment. People did show us items that needed replacement in their home, such as worn bedding and damaged furniture. The manager said they would address this. It was evident that improvements had been made since the last inspection and people were seeing the changes as positive. Managers and staff acknowledged more was needed. This included ensuring guidelines to support people to identify and work towards their goals and aspirations were recorded. This would also ensure staff were consistent with each person’s needs.

Right Care

We observed people receiving kind and compassionate care. A relative said, “They (staff) do care about them (named family member).” Staff protected and respected people's privacy and dignity. Staff had been recently trained about learning disabilities and autism and knew people well. Staff told us the new knowledge had changed the way they supported people. A relative told us of improvements, "(Person’s name) seems to be buying more girly stuff now, makes tea and walking around more." People who had individual ways of communicating, using body language, sounds, Makaton (a form of sign language), pictures and symbols we observed to be responding positively to staff’s improved understanding and practice in their use. Staff required more learning about communication and the approaches and tools to use with autistic people in order to create and implement effective communication plans. The home manager told us, “We want to learn more.” Staff understood how to protect people from poor care and abuse. The service worked well with other agencies to do so. Staff had training on how to recognise and report abuse and they knew how to apply it. People and relatives told us they felt safe. Training had supported staff to understand what people needed when they became distressed, one staff said, “I've learned sign language (person’s name) likes to interact with singing & signing it takes their mind off of things.”

Right culture

The new emphasis on improving people’s quality of life experiences had begun to make a positive impact for people. We observed people were talking with staff on a more equal footing and were gaining in confidence to make choices, which we saw staff respecting. For example, one person did not want to prepare the lunch they had planned and told staff what they wanted instead. Staff encouraged their choice and helped them find the ingredients needed. The provider had invested in training and development for managers and staff, such as positive behavioural support (PBS) which had helped managers and staff understand the reasons people might behave in a certain way when distressed. Managers now knew how to analyse incidents and share the learning from them to reduce situations which cause people distress. People who had sensory perception and processing needs had been referred to health professionals for assessment. Staff had begun to recognise some sensory needs, for example a person who has difficulty with noise was being supported to use noise reduction equipment. Investment in learning for managers and staff was reflected in staff practice. People and relatives told us they could talk to managers and staff freely. One person said, “I like all the staff.”

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

Rating at last inspection and update

The last rating for this service was Inadequate (28, 29, 30 June 2021). 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.

This service has been in Special Measures since 30 June 2021. During this inspection the provider demonstrated that improvements have been made. The service is no longer rated as inadequate overall or in any of the key questions. Therefore, this service is no longer in Special Measures.

Why we inspected

This was a planned comprehensive inspection based on the previous rating. 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 carried out an unannounced comprehensive inspection of this service on 28, 29 and 30 June 2021. Breaches of legal requirements were found in the following regulations. Safe care and treatment, safeguarding service users from abuse and improper treatment, staffing, person- centred care and good governance. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve. We undertook this inspection to check they had followed their action plan and to confirm they now met legal requirements. The overall rating for the service has changed from inadequate to requires improvement. This is based on the findings at this inspection.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the 'all reports' link for Sutton court on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor the service through the providers monthly report on conditions. We will speak with the provider following this report being published to discuss how they will make changes to ensure they improve their rating to at least good. We will work with the local authority to monitor progress. We will return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.