Background to this inspection
Updated
2 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
An inspector carried out this inspection with an Expert by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.
Service and service type
Barclay House is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.
The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. 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.
Notice of inspection
This inspection was unannounced.
What we did before the inspection
We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. 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 of this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection-
We spoke with six people who used the service and one relative about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with four support workers, the registered manager and a volunteer visitor. We observed people’s care and support throughout the inspection and over the breakfast and lunchtime meals.
We reviewed a range of records. This included three people’s care records and medicines records. We looked at three staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. We reviewed a variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures.
Updated
2 August 2019
About the service
SeeAbility – Barclay House Residential Home, referred to in this report as Barclay House, is a residential care home providing personal care and support to nine people with visual impairments. The service can support up to nine people across the whole service.
Barclay House accommodates seven people in one adapted building and two people in flats in the same cul de sac.
Alongside visual impairments, some people had needs relating to physical disabilities, mental health needs, acquired brain injuries, autism and learning disabilities.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People spoke highly of the service they received from Barclay House. People made comments including, “The staff are brilliant. They know me well” And, “This is a superb home.”
The service had strong person-centred values and placed people’s wellbeing at the heart of their work. People received personalised support which met their needs and preferences.
People were fully involved in the planning and delivery of their care and this was done in a way that encouraged independence. People’s care plans contained personalised information which detailed how they wanted their care to be delivered.
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 knew people well and worked hard to enable them to share their views, make choices and live active lives as independently as possible. Specialised equipment was used to ensure people could communicate and understand information freely, without the constant need for staff support.
Risks to people’s health, safety and wellbeing were assessed and acted upon. Staff had access to detailed information about how to keep people safe. People were protected from abuse by staff who had received training and were confident in raising concerns. There was a thorough recruitment process in place that checked potential staff were safe to work with people who may be vulnerable.
People were supported by kind and caring staff who worked hard to promote their independence and sense of wellbeing. Staff were provided with the training, supervision and support they needed to care for people well.
There was strong leadership at the service. People and staff spoke highly of the management team and there was a positive culture at the service with people and staff feeling their voices were listened to.
There were effective quality assurance systems in place to assess, monitor and improve on the quality and safety of the service 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 (9 November 2016).
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.