John Cabot House

Updated 4 October 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 22 August 2018. It was unannounced and carried out by one Inspector. The team included 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.

Before our inspection, we reviewed information that we held about the service such as previous inspection reports, safeguarding information and notifications. Notifications are the events happening in the service that the provider is required to tell us about.

We spoke with four people who were using the service, the registered manager the deputy manager and three staff.

We reviewed two people's care files and three staff recruitment and support records. We also looked at a sample of the service's policies, audits, training records, staff rotas and management records.

Updated 4 October 2018

John Cabot House care home accommodates 8 people in one adapted building. John Cabot House is registered to provide accommodation and personal care to eight people. Two people are accommodated in self-contained flats and up to six people can be accommodated in the main house which has six en-suite bedrooms. The service specialises in providing care for people with an acquired brain injury.

The inspection took place on 22 August 2018 and was unannounced. At our last inspection in July 2017 we had found one person’s apartment had no working lighting. The provider had not acted to resolve this within a suitable timescale.

We had found there was not always sufficient skilled and experienced staff to provide support to people. Also, there had been a lack of staff training to effectively meet people’s needs. Some people had told us they felt some staff were not kind and caring in manner towards them. One person at our last inspection had not been out from the home for nearly three weeks. This conveyed they were not being fully supported with community based activities at that time. Finally, we had found that action had not been taken to address the concerns and shortfalls that had been picked up at our inspection at that time. This had meant that the quality checking systems at that time were not fully effective.

Following the last inspection, we asked the provider to complete an action plan to show what they would do and by when to improve the key questions is the service safe? is it effective? is it caring? is it responsive? is it well led? to at least good.

There was a registered manager for the service. 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

At this inspection we found that actions had been taken to address the shortfalls that we found at our last visit. We saw that rooms were safe because they all had working lighting. The provider had put in place a robust checking system. This was to ensure any environmental health and safety matters were reported and addressed swiftly.

There were now sufficient skilled and experienced staff to provide effective support to people. There was also a full training programme for staff in place to effectively meet people’s needs.

People told us that all the staff were kind and caring in manner towards them. We also saw that the team on duty all conveyed a warm, positive and caring approach to the people they supported.

At this inspection there was clear evidence that all people who wanted too, were well supported to go out from the home daily. This showed that people were now well supported with community based activities.

We also found that actions were taken to address any concerns and shortfalls in the service. This showed that the provider's quality checking systems were now up to date and effective.

People said that the staff that supported them were always kind and caring in manner. People at the home engaged with staff in a positive way with the staff who provided them with personal care and other support.

People spoke highly of the food they were supported to prepare and cook. Staff encouraged people to build up independence in their daily living skills.

People's legal rights were being respected. Staff understood the need to seek consent before all care was offered to people. The staff also understood the basic principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. Staff knew people had the right to make unwise decisions in their dally life.

The team of staff and the people we met told us they now felt supported by the registered manager, senior staff and senior managers.