Swallowdale

Updated 7 August 2019

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.

Inspection team

Two inspectors carried out this inspection.

Service and service type

Swallowdale is a care home. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

The service had a manager registered with CQC . 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.

A new manager had recently been appointed and started working at the service. The new manager assisted with the inspection. We have referred to this person as the manager throughout the report.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was announced. We gave a short period of notice because people who live there were often out and we wanted to be sure there would be people at home to speak with us.

What we did before the 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 this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with two people who lived at Swallowdale and observed how staff interacted with them. We spoke with the manager, deputy manager, operations manager and a registered manager who was supporting the inspection.

We looked at the care records for three people. We checked records in relation to the management of the service such as quality assurance checks, staff training and supervision records for three staff, maintenance and service checks and audits. We telephoned and spoke with two support staff.

Updated 7 August 2019

About the service

Swallowdale is a care home providing personal care to six people at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to eight people with learning disabilities and or autistic spectrum disorder.

The service has been developed and designed in line with the principles and values that underpin Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. This ensures that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes. The principles reflect the need for people with learning disabilities and or autism to live meaningful lives that include control, choice, and independence. People using the service receive planned and co-ordinated person-centred support that is appropriate and inclusive for them.

The service was a large home, bigger than most domestic style properties. It was registered for the support of up to eight people. Six people were using the service. This is larger than current best practice guidance. However, the size of the service having a negative impact on people was mitigated by the building design fitting into the residential area and the other large domestic homes of a similar size.

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

The service applied the principles and values of Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These ensure that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes including control, choice and independence.

The outcomes for people using the service reflected the principles and values of Registering the Right Support by promoting choice and control, independence and inclusion. People's support focused on them having as many opportunities as possible for them to gain new skills and become more independent. Staff supported people to establish and maintain significant relationships with family and friends.

People were positive about their care and support. They told us they liked the staff and said they were kind and caring. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

Staff were well trained and received good management support and supervision, which enabled them to carry out their roles effectively. People’s needs were holistically assessed and staff worked consistently to ensure people received high quality, person-centred care.

Effective management systems were in place to promote people safety and wellbeing. People, relatives and staff were positive about the way the service was led and were asked what worked well and what changes they would like to see. People knew who to speak with if they had any worries or concerns and were confident any issues they raised would be acted upon. The provider and the registered manager checked the quality of care provided.

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

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was good (published 14 October 2016).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.