Archived: Harborough Road

Updated 3 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 checked 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 rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This was a comprehensive inspection, which took place because we carry out comprehensive inspections of services rated Good at least once every two years. This inspection took place on 2 October 2017 and was announced. We gave the provider 48 hours’ notice because 1A Harborough Road is a small service where staff and people are often out. We needed to be sure someone would be in. The inspection consisted of one inspector.

Before the inspection, we asked the provider to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We looked at previous inspection reports and notifications about important events that had taken place in the service, which the provider is required to tell us by law. We contacted Healthwatch Northamptonshire, the local consumer champion for people using adult social care services, to seek feedback about the service. We used all this information to decide which areas to focus on during our inspection.

We spoke with two of the three people who used the service and observed how staff interacted with all three. We spoke with three support workers and the area manager. We also spoke with a health professional who visited the service occasionally to support a person. We looked at the provider’s records. These included three people’s care records, which included care plans, health records, risk assessments and daily care records. We looked at a staff file to see how the provider operated their recruitment procedures. We looked at information about staff training and support and records associated with the provider’s quality assurance system.

Updated 3 November 2017

The inspection was carried out on 2 October 2017. The inspection was announced.

The service is registered to provide accommodation and personal care for up to four people living with learning disabilities. Accommodation is provided in detached house in a residential area of Rushden in Northamptonshire. At the time of our inspection three people living in the service.

At the last Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection in October 2015, the service was rated Good. At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

The service had a registered manager. 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. We were notified before the inspection that the registered manager was absent and that the service was being run by an area manager until 9 October 2017 when the registered manager returned.

People continued to be safe. People were protected against the risk of abuse. People felt safe in the service. Staff recognised the signs of abuse or neglect and what to look out for.

Staff followed appropriate guidance to minimise identified risks to people's health, safety and welfare. There were enough staff to keep people safe. The provider had appropriate arrangements in place to check the suitability and fitness of new staff to work at the service.

Medicines were managed safely and people received them as prescribed.

Staff received regular training and supervision to help them to meet people's needs effectively.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible. The policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People were supported to have a healthy balanced diet and were supported to access health services when they needed them.

Staff were caring and treated people with dignity and respect and ensured people's privacy was maintained.

Each person had an up to date, personalised support plan. These plans were detailed and included information that staff needed in order to know how to support people. The plans included sections in an easy to read format that people could refer to.

Staff encouraged people to actively participate in activities, pursue their interests and to maintain relationships with people that mattered to them.

Staff ensured the complaints procedure was made available to people to enable them to make a complaint if they needed to. Regular checks and reviews of the service continued to be made to ensure people experienced good quality safe care and support.

People and staff were encouraged to provide feedback about how the service could be improved. This was used to make changes and improvements that people wanted.

The service had continued to provide good care and support during the period the registered was absent because effective interim management arrangements were in place and because staff were motivated and knowledgeable about people’s needs.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.