We carried out a review of the data available to us about Helene Lodge on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about Helene Lodge, you can give feedback on this service.
About the service
Helene Lodge is a supported living service providing personal care to three people at the time of the inspection. It is based in one shared house with an outside annexe, for up to seven people, with the office on the second floor of the building. People each have their own room, and some have an ensuite bath or shower room. The kitchen, dining room, living room and some bathroom and toilet facilities in the main house are shared. The annexe includes a private kitchen, bathroom and living room as well as a bedroom.
Not everyone who uses 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.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
Right Support:
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 central to and as involved as possible in decisions about their care, both day to day and in more significant decisions. They had monthly reviews with their keyworker, where they talked about what was going well for them, what they wanted to change and their hopes and aspirations for the future.
Risks were managed with the least possible restriction. The registered manager championed the principles of STOMP (stopping the over-medication of autistic people and people with a learning disability) within the service, challenging prescribers when they were concerned that psychotropic medicines were being proposed unnecessarily.
Support plans promoted people’s independence and staff worked with people accordingly. People were supported as far as possible to have an active role in maintaining their own health and wellbeing.
Right Care:
Care and support were individualised according to people’s needs and promoted their dignity, privacy and human rights. People and relatives were pleased with their or their loved one’s support, which they felt met their needs.
People felt safe and comfortable with staff. There was a growing but stable staff team who knew people well and understood and met their support needs. Staff understood their responsibilities for safeguarding people and upholding their human rights. They had the training and skills they needed to be able to support people safely and effectively. Enough staff were deployed each shift to provide the support people needed.
People had thrived with the support they receive, leading active lives and experiencing a sense of wellbeing despite ongoing health conditions. Support plans were underpinned by personalised assessments of their needs, which were holistic and up to date. They made clear how staff could recognise people were upset or disliked something. Where people had previously struggled to manage their distress, staff followed positive behaviour support plans to good effect to help them avoid becoming distressed in the first place.
Right Culture:
People using the service, relatives and staff had confidence in the leadership of the service and relatives described good communication with them. Staff told us the registered manager was supportive and fair, whilst expecting them to work to a high standard. People, relatives and staff felt confident in raising any concerns with the registered manager, trusting she would take them seriously and take any necessary action.
The registered manager fostered an open, inclusive and person-centred culture within the service, which was reflected in the warm and friendly “family” atmosphere observed by people and staff. She made it clear to staff they must work in a person-centred way and demonstrated this by example. She and the provider maintained oversight of the service through regular conversations with people, relatives and staff as well as through a programme of quality assurance audits to ensure the service was working to the provider’s policies and procedures. If any shortfalls were found, prompt action was taken to address them.
The registered and deputy managers worked closely with other staff in supporting people. People readily approached and interacted with the registered manager.
People using the service and relatives felt able to raise concerns with the registered manager and trusted they would be taken seriously. The registered manager was open and transparent with people, their relatives and professionals if anything went wrong.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk.
Rating at last inspection
This service was registered with us on 10 October 2020 and this is the first inspection.
Why we inspected
This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.