Archived: 52 Croydon Road

Updated 2 April 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.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by one Inspector, and a member of the CQC medicines team.

Service and service type

This service provides care and support to people living in a ‘supported living’ setting, so that they can live 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.

The service had no manager registered with the Care Quality Commission at the time of our inspection. The provider is legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because the service is small and people are often out and we wanted to be sure there would be people at home to speak with us.

What we did before inspection

We also reviewed information we held about the service which included notifications of events and incidents at the service. 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.

During the inspection

We spoke with three people who used the service and two relatives about their experience of the care provided, three care staff members and the service manager. We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI)/ 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 four people’s care records and nine medication records. We looked at two staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at training data and quality assurance records. We spoke with two professionals who regularly visit the service.

Updated 2 April 2022

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee autistic people and people with a learning disability the choices, dignity, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. Right support, right care, right culture is the statutory guidance which supports CQC to make assessments and judgements about services providing support to people with a learning disability and/or autistic people.

About the service

52 Croydon Road provides personal care to people with a learning disability in a supported living setting. People using the service lived in a single ‘house in multi-occupation’ and shared communal facilities. Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do, we also consider any wider social care provided. At the time of our visit, the service supported nine people with personal care needs.

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

The service was able to demonstrate how they were meeting the underpinning principles of Right support, right care, right culture.

Right Support

The model of care and the setting supported people’s independence, control and choice. People were supported to promote and maintain their independence. People determined how they wanted to spend their day and things they wanted to do. Staff worked with them to achieve this.

Right Care

Care and support was tailored and delivered based on people’s individual needs and preferences. People received care which promoted their dignity, privacy and human rights. People confirmed they were treated with respect.

Right culture

The provider and staff working at the service understood the values of the service and they promoted a culture that encouraged inclusion, diversity and empowered people to achieve positive outcomes.

Risks to people were properly managed to reduce the risk of harm. Lessons were learned from incidents and accidents; and when things went wrong. Staff had received training in safeguarding adults and knew what actions to take to protect people from abuse. There were enough staff available to deliver care and support to people in a safe way. Medicines management was safe. Staff followed infection control procedures to reduce risks of infection.

People’s needs were thoroughly assessed following best practice guidance. People were supported to maintain good healthy diets. Staff supported people to access health and social care services to maintain good health. There were systems in place that ensured people continued to receive an effective service when moving from one service to another.

Staff told us and records showed staff were supported to be effective in their roles. Staff and the manager understood their roles and responsibilities under the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service support this practice. People consented to their care before they were delivered.

People were involved and supported to express their views about their care and support. Staff communicated with people in the way they understood, and people were given information in formats they understood. People’s care plans were reviewed and updated regularly to reflect their current needs.

There was a complaints procedure available. People knew how to complain if they were unhappy with the service. The views of people were sought about the service and used in developing it. The quality of the service was regularly assessed. The provider worked in partnership with other organisations to develop the service.

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

Why we inspected

This service was registered with us under a new provider on 26 November 2020 and this is the first inspection since their new registration.

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.