Constable House

Updated 17 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 comprehensive inspection took place on 20 September 2018 and was unannounced. The inspection team consisted of one inspector.

Before the inspection we reviewed information available to us about this service. The registered provider had completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). The PIR is a form that asks the registered provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We also reviewed notifications that had been sent to us. A notification is information about important events which the provider is required to send us by law.

We requested information about the home from Healthwatch and the local authority. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion, which promotes the views and experiences of people who use health and social care. The local authority has responsibility for funding people who use the service and monitoring its safety and quality. We also spoke with a health and social care professional who supported one person living at the home.

We spoke four three people who lived at the home. We also spoke with the provider’s representative, a senior carer and one care staff member.

We reviewed three people’s care records, two staff recruitment files and checked how people’s medicines were managed. In addition, we looked at information which showed us how the provider monitored the quality of the care provided and the actions they took to develop the service further. This included questionnaires completed by people and their relatives, minutes of meetings with people and staff. We also saw how accidents and incidents we monitored, and systems for managing any complaints about the care provided.

Updated 17 October 2018

Constable 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. Constable House provides long-term accommodation and care for up to six people, across two floors. There were six people living at the home at the time of our visit.

At the last inspection in September 2016 the service was rated Good. At this inspection we found the service remained Good. The evidence continued to support the rating of good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and on-going 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.

A registered manager was not in place at the time of our inspection, however, the provider was taking reasonable steps to address this. 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.

People continued to be cared for in ways which took their individual safety and risks into account. Staff adapted how they supported people so people could do things which were important to them and to continue to develop their independence, as safely as possible.

Checks were made on the suitability of staff before they were recruited and there were enough staff to care for people. Systems were in place to manage people’s medicines so they received them as prescribed. People benefited from living in a home where steps were taken to reduce the chance of people having infections. Staff reviewed and untoward incidents and were supported to learn from them.

People’s needs and lifestyle choices were taken into account when their care was first planned. Systems were in place to enable staff to obtain input from other organisations and health and social care professionals, so staff would be assured they would meet people’s needs.

People were positive about the skills and knowledge staff used when caring for them. We found staff were provided with opportunities to develop their skills and knowledge they needed to support people living at the home.

Staff supported people to have enough to eat and drink so they would remain well. People told us they enjoyed their meal time experiences, which reflected their choices. Some people took pride in making their own drinks and meals. People told us if they wanted support to attend health appointments this was always provided. By doing this, staff helped to ensure people’s well-being and health was promoted.

People are supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff support them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service support this practice.

The caring approach of staff was highlighted by people and people chose to involve staff in their daily lives. Staff encouraged people to make their own decisions about the care they wanted and spoke respectfully to the people they supported. People’s right to dignity and privacy was considered in the ways staff cared for them.

Care was offered to people which reflected their individual preferences, aspirations and needs. Staff supported people to make their own decisions about their lives and care. The views of other health and social care professions were listened to, to help to ensure people’s care was planned in the best way for them.

There were systems in place to support people to raise any concerns they had or to make a complaint. Everyone we spoke with told us they had not wanted to make any complaints because the care provided was good.

The provider’s representative spent time with people, so they could be assured people were receiving good quality care. Staff were confident if they raised any concerns senior staff and the provider’s representative would address them.

Checks were made by senior staff and the provider’s representative, so they could be sure the people benefited from living in a home where the focus was on the experiences of people who lived there.