Archived: Hennel Lane

Updated 4 May 2016

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 was 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.

The inspection was unannounced and took place on 5 February 2016.

The inspection was undertaken by one adult social care inspector.

As part of our inspection planning we reviewed the information that we held about the home including statutory notifications received from the provider, these statutory notifications include important events and occurrences which the provider is required to send to us by law. We reviewed previous inspection reports and we contacted the local authority contract monitoring team to gather further information. We also 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 used this information to help to plan our inspection.

The home was equipped to provide accommodation for five people. At the time of our visit there were four people living in Hennel Lane.

Updated 4 May 2016

The inspection took place on 5 February 2016 and was unannounced. At our previous inspection in November 2013 we found that the provider was meeting the regulations in relation to the outcomes we inspected.

Hennel Lane is a care home for people with learning disabilities and complex support needs. It is provided by Scope which is a national charity providing a range of services for children and adults with disabilities. The service at Hennel Lane is provided in a large detached house in a residential area of Preston. It offers a transition service from children to adult’s services for up to five young people.

The home has 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.

The manager was available throughout the inspection and engaged positively with the inspection process. The manager was friendly and approachable; she operated an open door policy for people using the service, staff and visitors.

We found that care was provided by a long term staff group in an environment which was friendly and homely.

People's consent was gained before any care was provided and the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act were met.

The relationships we saw were caring, respectful and dignified and the atmosphere was one of calm and comfort. Everyone in the service looked relaxed and comfortable with each other and with all of the staff.

Staff members had developed good relationships with people living at the home and care plans clearly identified people’s needs, which ensured people received the care they wanted in the way they preferred.

Staff knew about the need to safeguard people and were provided with the right information they needed to do this. They knew what to do if they had a concern. There were sufficient staff to meet the needs of the people who lived in the home.

The home was well-decorated and maintained and adapted where required. People had their own bedrooms which they could personalise as they wished.

We spent time with the people who used the service all who appeared relaxed and comfortable within their home environment. People were not always able to communicate verbally with us because of their complex needs. However they expressed themselves in other ways such as by gesture or expression. We talked with five staff members as well as the registered manager.

We undertook a limited amount of direct observation at Hennel Lane. This was to try and minimise any possible anxiety for people, and to ensure that support and daily activities went ahead as planned.

Staff were observed to be mindful and promoted a calm environment. They spoke quietly to people and were observed supporting people with tasks in a calm and respectful way. Staff kept an appropriate distance from people who may have felt anxious if someone was too close to them. People were asked questions in a way that made sure they were helped to understand and were able to respond in a way that reflected their rights and choices.

We spoke with one person who lived at Hennel Lane and he told us that is was good and that he liked the staff the TV and the food.

We spoke to the relatives of some people who lived at Hennel Lane. They told us that they were happy with the care that their relatives received. They told us that staff were kind, caring and compassionate and that they provided the people who lived at Hennel Lane with emotional warmth.

We looked at records including four care files as well as three staff files and audit reports.

We looked around the building and facilities and by invitation, looked in some people’s bedrooms.