Speedwell House and Court

Updated 15 May 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 planned this inspection to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by one adult social care inspector.

Service and service type

Speedwell House and Court is registered to provide domiciliary care and a supported living service. People’s care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. CQC does not regulate premises used for supported living; this inspection looked at people’s personal care and support.

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

We carried out the inspection visit on 16 April 2019. It was announced. We told the provider two days before our visit that we would be coming. We did this because the manager is sometimes out of the office supporting staff or visiting people who use the service. We needed to be sure that they would be available at their office.

What we did

Before the inspection visit we looked at information we held about the service and used this information as part of our inspection planning. The information included notifications. Notifications are information on important events that happen in the home service that the provider is required by law to let us know about.

On this occasion we did not ask the provider to send us a provider information return (PIR). This is information we ask providers to send us at least once annually to give us some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. However, we offered the provider the opportunity to share information with us that they felt was relevant, during and following the inspection process.

During our inspection we spoke with the registered manager, a support worker and two people who used the service. We looked at two peoples care records and two staff files as well as other records relating to the management of the service.

Updated 15 May 2019

About the service

Speedwell Court provides housing provision, support and practical assistance to 10 people with autism. On the day of our visit there were 9 people living at this unit and 2 people who were receiving support with personal care. Speedwell House is an "extra care" housing provision operated by Origin Housing. There are 25 flats available for rental. At the time of this inspection Origin housing did not provide personal care to any of the tenants in Speedwell House.

Not everyone using the service receives regulated activity; CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with ‘personal care’; help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also consider any wider social care provided

People’s experience of using this service

People told us people they were very happy living at the scheme because they felt safe and all their needs were met by kind and caring staff.

People praised the managers of the service and agreed that they were approachable, knowledgeable, fair and did their job well. The staff team worked well together and supported the registered manager. The provider employed enough staff to make sure people’s need were met in a timely way.

The staff team was committed to providing a high-quality service and keeping people safe. They had undertaken training so that they were skilled and knowledgeable to effectively meet people’s needs. Staff understood their responsibilities to report any concerns.

Staff encouraged people to be as independent as possible and respected people’s privacy and dignity. Staff knew people well. Staff managed the risks to people’s health and welfare.

People were given choices about the way in which they were cared for. Staff listened to them and knew their needs well. Care plans contained detailed information about each person’s individual support needs and preferences in relation to their care and we found evidence of good outcomes for people. When people did not have the capacity to make their own decisions, staff maximised their involvement and made decisions in their best interests, in accordance with legislation.

Staffing levels were enough to meet people’s needs. Recruitment practices were safe and relevant checks had been completed before staff worked at the service.

People continued to receive a service that was responsive to their individual needs and preferences. Most people had complex needs and staff involved other professionals, to ensure they gained a full understanding of the factors influencing each person and further developed an individualised approach to their care. They had access to a range of activities and were encouraged to participate in events in the local community.

The managers of the service actively sought the views of people and their relatives about the running of the scheme and they dealt promptly with any concerns that people raised.

The provider had a number of systems in place to monitor and improve the quality and safety of the service provided.

More information is in the full report.

Rating at last inspection

At the last inspection we rated this service Good. The report was published on11 October 2016.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor this service.