Shaftesbury Horizons

Updated 17 May 2023

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 Health and Social Care Act 2008.

As part of this inspection, we looked at the infection control and prevention measures in place. This was conducted so we can understand the preparedness of the service in preventing or managing an infection outbreak, and to identify good practice we can share with other services.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by 1 inspector.

Service and service type

Livability Horizons is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing and/or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement dependent on their registration with us. Livability Horizons is a care home without nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because the service is small and we asked staff to speak to people to let them know we would be visiting them.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority service improvement and safeguarding teams. The provider completed a Provider Information Return (PIR) prior to this inspection. A PIR is information providers send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 2 people and 3 relatives about their experience of the care provided. We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us. We received feedback from 10 staff including the registered manager, service delivery lead, registered nurse, team leaders and enabling support workers. We requested feedback from health and social care professionals but did not receive a response.

We reviewed a range of records. This included 4 people’s care and medication records. We looked at recruitment documents for 3 staff. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

Updated 17 May 2023

About the service

Livability Horizons is a purpose-built residential care home providing personal care, and support to 11 people at the time of the inspection. Livability Horizons is situated in Poole, Dorset. The home can accommodate and support up to 13 people.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices and independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ is the guidance CQC follows to make assessments and judgements about services supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people and providers must have regard to it.

Right Support

Livability Horizons was a safe place to be, feedback we received confirmed this and people were supported by staff who knew them well. Recruitment processes were in place but had not always been followed, the registered manager sought to rectify this during inspection. We have made a recommendation about governance processes to ensure they are robust, as they had not identified this shortfall. Risks people faced in their lives were identified, assessed and steps put in place to mitigate them. This meant people were supported to lead the fullest lives possible in a safe way. 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.

Right Care

People received their medicines as prescribed and there were robust, safe processes in place. Detailed assessments and instructions meant people were protected from avoidable harm. Staff knew how to recognise and raise concerns, confident they would be dealt with promptly. Staff had received training in keeping people safe. Fire safety and equipment checks were in place to ensure the environment was safe. Infection control procedures were in place.

Right Culture

We observed many kind interactions between people and staff, they were both natural and encouraging. The home actively sought feedback on the service it provided and used the information to drive improvement and learn lessons. The registered manager understood their regulatory responsibilities and had made all necessary notifications and referrals as required by law. Staff felt appreciated and were extremely proud to work at the home. We received positive feedback about the management of the home. The home worked well with external professionals.

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 15 June 2018).

Why we inspected

We had not inspected and visited this service since 2018. As a result, we undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of safe and well-led only.

We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.

For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating.

The overall rating for the service has remained good based on the findings of this inspection.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.