Background to this inspection
Updated
21 February 2020
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
The inspection was completed by one inspector.
Service and service type
Mythe End 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
The inspection was unannounced.
What we did before the 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 this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We met and spoke with all four people who lived at the service. We spoke with four members of staff including the deputy manager and spoke to the registered manager.
We reviewed a range of records. This included two people’s care records and medicine records. We looked at two staff files in relation to recruitment and at the staff supervision records. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.
After the inspection
We continued to receive further information from the service. We received information from three relatives and one healthcare professional.
Updated
21 February 2020
Mythe End House is a residential care home providing personal care for up to six people who may have a learning disability and associated condition, for example autism. At the time of the inspection four people were living at the service. The service is owned by Lifeways Community Care Limited and is on the same site as another five bedded residential home owned by the same provider.
Whilst the environment wasn’t developed and designed in line with the principles and values that underpin Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance, people’s care was. The principles reflect the need for people with learning disabilities and/or autism to live meaningful lives that include control, choice, and independence. People at Mythe End House lived their life’s as full as possible and had control over what they did and how they were involved in decisions about their care and the service.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
The ethos of the organisation was to enable people to have as much independence, choice and control as possible. We saw many examples of people leading the life of their choice and being able to influence that on a daily basis. People's support focused on them having as many opportunities as possible for them to gain new skills and become more independent. Any communication challenges were seen as an opportunity to support someone to have a voice and still have control of their life.
We met and spoke to four people during our visit. However, some people who lived at the service had some communication difficulties due to their learning disability and associated conditions, such as autism. Therefore, they were not able to tell us verbally about their experience of living there. We spent short periods of time with people seeing how they spent their day and observed some interactions between people and the staff supporting them. One relative who provided feedback said; “’They (their loved one) loves it there and I feel they are safe.’ Another relative said; “All the staff who are excellent. We cannot speak too highly of them all and they are the "Jewels in the crown" of the organisation.”
Relatives of people who lived there said they felt their loved ones were safe with the staff supporting them. Systems were in place to safeguard people. Risks to them were identified and managed.
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.
People received their medicines safely in the way prescribed for them. Infection control measures were in place to prevent cross infection. Staff were suitably recruited and there were sufficient staff to meet people’s needs. Staffing levels were flexible to enable the service to provide additional staff when needed.
People were supported by staff who completed an induction, training and were supervised. The support required by people with health and nutritional needs was identified and provided.
All relatives agreed that the staff were very kind and very caring. People had their privacy and independence were promoted. Systems were in place to deal with concerns and complaints. This enabled relatives and people to raise concerns about their care if they needed to.
People’s care records were detailed and personalised to meet individual needs. Staff understood people’s needs and responded when needed. People were not able to be fully involved with their support plans, therefore family members or advocates supported staff to complete and review people’s support plans. People’s preferences were sought and respected.
People had staff support to access community-based activities and holidays. This was flexible and provided in response to people’s choices. People’s communication needs were known by staff. Staff had received training in how to support people with different communication needs.
People were supported by a service that was well managed. Records were accessible and up to date. The service was audited, and action taken to address any areas identified that needed improving. Staff were committed to providing good outcomes for people.
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 2 April 2017).
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.