44 Albion Road

Updated 19 May 2022

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.

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

One inspector undertook this inspection.

Service and service type

44 Albion Road is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection. 44 Albion Road does not provide nursing care.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This is a person, who along with the provider, is legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided. It is a requirement of the provider’s registration with the Care Quality Commission to have a registered manager.

Notice of inspection

We gave a short period notice of the inspection due to the risks associated with the Covid-19 pandemic.

What we did before inspection

Prior to the inspection we reviewed the information we held about the service, including statutory notifications received. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We communicated with three people who used the service about their experience of the care provided. People at the service communicated in a number of ways, including verbal communication, use of Makaton and through people’s own signing and body language.

We spoke with three members of care staff, the head of operations and the registered manager.

We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI) and spent time observing people. SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us.

We reviewed a range of records. This included three people’s care records and three people’s medicines records. We looked at staff training and supervision records. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

After the inspection

We spoke with two relatives and reviewed additional management records sent to us. We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found.

Updated 19 May 2022

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.

About the service

44 Albion Road is a residential care home providing personal and nursing care for seven people. The service can support up to eight people. People using this service have a learning disability and/or autism.

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

Right Support

The environment needed some refurbishment and renewal. People were happy with the care they received and felt safe living at the home. Staff were recruited safely and there were enough staff to keep people safe. Staff were trained to administer medicines safely and were assessed regularly to make sure they were competent. Infection prevention and control measures were in place.

People were supported by staff who received a range of ongoing training, to ensure they had the right knowledge to support people effectively. 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 were actively encouraged to be involved in decision making around their care. People were treated with dignity and respect, and their independence promoted.

Right Care

People were supported by kind and caring staff, who knew people well.

Staff appropriately assessed risks people might face, including risks associated with the environment and access to items that may cause harm to people.

People’s care and support plans reflected their range of needs and promoted their wellbeing and enjoyment of life.

Staff protected and respected people’s privacy and dignity. They understood and responded to people’s individual needs.

Staff understood how to protect people from poor care and abuse. The service worked well with other agencies to do so. Staff had training on how to recognise and report abuse and they knew how to apply it.

People who had individual ways of communicating, using body language, sounds, Makaton (a form of sign language), pictures and symbols could interact comfortably with staff and others involved in their care and support because staff had the necessary skills to understand them.

Right culture

Staff evaluated the quality of support provided to people to ensure continuous improvement. The service had a culture of improvement and worked to make timely improvements to enhance people’s quality of life.

People and those important to them were involved in planning their care. Staff asked people, their families and other professionals for their views about the service.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection and update

The last rating for the service under the previous provider was good, published on 28 December 2018.

Why we inspected

We undertook this comprehensive inspection to check whether the service was applying the principles of right support, right care, right culture.