Background to this inspection
Updated
8 November 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 was planned to check 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 19 July 2018 and was announced. We told the registered manager forty-eight hours before our inspection that we would be coming. This was because we wanted to make sure that the registered manager and other appropriate staff were available to speak with us on the day of our inspection. One inspector undertook the inspection.
We previously carried out a comprehensive inspection on 22 September 2015 and rated the service overall ‘Good’.
The provider had completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We looked at other information we held about the service. This included previous inspection reports and notifications. Notifications are changes, events or incidents that the service must inform us about. We contacted the local authority commissioning team to ask them about their experiences of the service provided and three visiting health and social care professionals and received one response. We also contacted two people’s relatives for their experiences of the service provided and received two responses.
Not everyone was able to tell us their experiences of the care and support provided. We spoke with people generally during the inspection and four people individually. We spent time observing how people were cared for and supported and their interactions with staff to understand their experience of living in the service. We spoke with two care staff, the deputy manager, the quality assurance manager and the registered manager. We spent time looking at records, including three people’s care and support records, three staff recruitment files, staff training records, and other records relating to the management of the service, such as policies and procedures, accident/incident recording and audit documentation. We also ‘pathway tracked’ the care for two people using the service. This is where we check that the care detailed in individual plans matches the experience of the person receiving care. It was an important part of our inspection, as it allowed us to capture information about people receiving care.
Updated
8 November 2018
The inspection took place on the 19 July 2018 and was announced.
51 Rutland Gardens provides tailored support packages for people with a learning disability or autistic spectrum disorder. This service provides care and support to people living in a ‘supported living’ setting, so that they can live in their own home as independently as possible. 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. At the time of the inspection six people were living in the service, but one person was absent during the inspection. People had their own flat and shared the communal facilities. The service is situated in a residential area with easy access to local amenities and transport links.
At our last inspection we rated the service Good. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of Good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing 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.
The staff team continued to provide an outstanding caring service to people. People and their relatives were all extremely positive about the care and support that was delivered. Staff went the extra mile to support people’s social needs and help develop their independence and life skills. They creatively supported people to maintain and foster interests that were important to them. People were central to the innovative practices involved in the planning and reviews of their support.
Staff spoke with pride and passion about the way people were cared for. Staff continuously looked-for ways to improve people's care and support so they received positive experiences and led fulfilling lives. A member of the staff told us, “We care a lot. We are their family. We offer guidance and someone to rely on, and they trust us. It’s important that they get everything they need.” A relative told us staff were very good at, “Getting to know the people who live there and engaging with them, finding things that may interest them, so they have a regular social and activity lives outside the service. (Person’s name) already has a great range of activities to go to.”
People told us they had continued to feel involved and listened to. The culture of the service remained open and inclusive and encouraged staff to see beyond each person's support needs. The provider had clear values which the registered manager and staff promoted. The registered manager showed drive and passion, ensuring the service was continually improving and striving to be outstanding, with people at the heart of the service.
Systems had been maintained to keep people safe. Sufficient numbers of suitable staff had been maintained to keep people safe and meet their care and support needs. People remained protected from the risk of abuse because staff understood how to identify and report it. People’s care and support plans and risk assessments continued to be developed and reviewed regularly. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible. Staff had the knowledge and skills to provide the care and support that people needed. Staff told us they had received supervision and appraisal’s. They continued to be supported to develop their skills and knowledge by receiving training which helped them to carry out their roles and responsibilities effectively.
The provider continued to have safe arrangements in place for the safe administration of medicines. People were supported to have their medicine safely when they needed it. People were protected by the infection control procedures in place.
People continued to live in a service with a relaxed and homely feel. They were supported by kind and caring staff who treated them with respect and dignity. They were spoken with and supported in a sensitive, respectful and professional manner. Staff had a good understanding of consent.
People were supported with their food and drink and this was monitored regularly. People continued to be supported to maintain good health and access healthcare professionals when needed
People, staff and relatives told us the service continued to be well led. Staff told us the registered manager was always approachable and had an open-door policy if they required some advice or needed to discuss something. One member of staff told us, “Moral is really good, the care team is really strong and good at mentoring. It’s a really good place to work. We all want them to achieve, and they have all achieved so much. We are good at positive risk management.” Senior staff had carried out a range of internal quality assurance audits to ensure the quality of the care and support provided. People and their relatives were regularly consulted about the care provided through reviews, tenants meetings and by using quality assurance questionnaires. Relatives told us staff kept in touch with them, and one said, “We have had several updates since (Person’s name) first moved in which have been extremely reassuring. The content in them as well as just getting them, both from the manager and her deputy.“