Archived: Henshaws Society for Blind People - 12 Church Avenue Harrogate

Updated 5 December 2018

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 inspection took place on 3 and 11 October 2018 and was announced. We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection visit because it is small and we needed to be sure people would be in. The inspection team consisted of one inspector.

We used information the provider sent us in the Provider Information Return. This is information we require providers to send us at least once annually to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We reviewed information we held about the service as part of our inspection including notifications from the provider. Notifications are reports of changes, events or incidents the provider is legally obliged to send the Care Quality Commission (CQC). We contacted the local authority commissioning and safeguarding teams for their views. We used this information to plan our inspection.

We spoke with four people who used the service, the manager, director of housing and support and four support workers. We reviewed a range of records about people’s care and how the home was managed. We looked at care records and associated medicine records for three people, recruitment and training records for two staff, meeting minutes, maintenance records and quality assurance audits.

Updated 5 December 2018

This inspection took place on 3 and 11 October 2018. We told the service we were visiting because we wanted to be sure people could be available to speak with us.

Henshaws Society for Blind People - 12 Church Avenue Harrogate is a care home. People in care homes receive accommodation and personal care as single package under contractual agreements. Care Quality Commission regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection. The service accommodates up to six people with a learning disability, some of who also have a sensory impairment. Six people were using the service at the time of inspection.

At our last inspection in March 2016 we rated the service good. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

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.

People were supported by appropriate numbers of suitably trained staff who had been recruited safely. People were protected from abuse and avoidable harm. When accidents or incidents took place, they were investigated and action was taken to prevent future reoccurrence. People received their medicines safely and were supported to self-medicate when possible. Appropriate systems were in place to order, store and administer medicines safely.

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.

Staff had completed training and received on-going mentoring and support which enabled them to meet people’s needs effectively.

People were encouraged to maintain a healthy and balanced diet. People were supported to make drinks and meals themselves and to create weekly menus.

Care records were well maintained and reflected people's care and support needs. People were encouraged to express their views about the care and support they received. They were involved in the initial assessment of their needs and the on-going planning of their care and involvement with healthcare professionals. People told us staff treated them with dignity and respect and we observed staff were kind and patient.

People followed a range of diverse interests and pursuits of their choosing.

A complaints policy was in place and this was available in audio format to ensure it was accessible for the people who used the service.

Staff told us the manager was approachable and supportive. Management systems were in place for checking the quality of the service and these continued to be developed to ensure the delivery of the service was improved year on year. Notifications were submitted to the CQC as required.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.