The Gables

Updated 15 January 2022

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.

As part of CQC’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic we are looking at how services manage infection control and visiting arrangements. This was a targeted inspection looking at the infection prevention and control measures the provider had in place. We also asked the provider about any staffing pressures the service was experiencing and whether this was having an impact on the service.

This inspection took place on 7 January 2022 and was announced. We gave the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection.

Updated 15 January 2022

This inspection took place on 12 and 13 November 2018. It was an unannounced visit to the service.

We previously inspected the service in October 2017. The service was not meeting all the requirements of the regulations at that time and was rated ‘requires improvement’. There were breaches of regulations regarding fire safety and staff support. Following the last inspection, we met with the provider and asked them to complete an action plan to show what they would do and by when to improve the key questions ‘safe,’ ‘effective’ and ‘well-led’ to at least ‘good.' On this occasion, we found improvements had been made.

This service provides care and support for up to seven adults with learning disabilities in a family-style home. The building is a detached property with an enclosed garden. Five people were living at The Gables when we visited. Accommodation is provided on two floors, with five bedrooms downstairs. Equipment has been provided to assist people with daily living tasks, such as adapted baths and ceiling hoists. Each person has their own bedroom, close to toilet and bathroom facilities.

The care service has been developed and designed in line with the values that underpin the Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These values include choice, promotion of independence and inclusion. People with learning disabilities and autism using the service can live as ordinary a life as any citizen.

The service had a registered manager 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.

We received positive feedback about the service. Comments from relatives included “It’s lovely. Home from home,” “They’re very much like a family home,” “We’re pretty happy with The Gables” and “I’m absolutely happy, I couldn’t praise them enough.” One person who lived at the home gave us a big smile and said “It’s alright” when we asked what it was like to live there.

People were protected from the risk of abuse. There were safeguarding procedures and training on abuse to provide staff with the skills and knowledge to recognise and respond to safeguarding concerns. The staff, community professionals and relatives we spoke with did not have any concerns about how people were cared for. Staff told us they would report anything that concerned them.

Each person had a care plan which outlined their support needs. Risk assessments had been prepared, to reduce the likelihood of injury or harm to people during the provision of their care. People’s medicines were handled safely and given to them in accordance with their prescriptions. People were supported to access healthcare professionals when they needed to.

Information was not always provided in formats people could understand. We have made a recommendation about complying with the Accessible Information Standard. The Accessible Information Standard is a framework put in place from August 2016, making it a legal requirement for all providers to ensure people with a disability or sensory loss can access and understand information they are given.

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.

We found there were sufficient staff to meet people’s needs. They were recruited using robust procedures to make sure people were supported by staff with the right skills and attributes. Occasional use was made of agency workers. We found not all senior staff could access records sent by the agency to confirm the checks and identity of the staff they supplied. We have made a recommendation about this.

Staff received appropriate support through a structured induction, supervision and appraisal of their performance. The frequency of staff supervision had improved since our last inspection. There was an on-going training programme to provide and update staff on safe ways of working. We have made a recommendation regarding training on end of life care. Staff told us the training opportunities were good and they were encouraged to undertake higher level training, such as diploma level courses.

Some activities were provided for people, such as occasional trips out and visits by sensory therapists. There had been little progress in meeting a recommendation we made at the last inspection to improve this area of practice.

People were cared for in safe and well-maintained premises. There were certificates to show it complied with gas and electrical safety standards. Improvement had been made to fire safety measures, to ensure staff were suitably rehearsed in what to do in the event of fire. Lifting equipment was serviced to make sure it was in safe working order. Evacuation plans had been written for each person, to help support them safely in the event of an emergency.

The service was managed well. The provider regularly checked the quality of care at the service through visits and audits. We had not been told about the outcomes of the service applying to the local authority to deprive people of their liberty. We have made a recommendation regarding notification of significant events.