Palmer Crescent

Updated 15 February 2022

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.

As part of CQC’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic we are looking at how services manage infection control and visiting arrangements. This was a targeted inspection looking at the infection prevention and control measures the provider had in place. We also asked the provider about any staffing pressures the service was experiencing and whether this was having an impact on the service.

This inspection took place on 28 January 2022 and was announced. We gave the service two hours’ notice of the inspection.

Updated 15 February 2022

Palmer Crescent is a registered care home comprising three bungalows on one site, each of which can accommodate up to six people. The home supports adults with learning disabilities and/or autistic spectrum disorder. There were 17 people living at the home at the time of our inspection.

People’s experience of using this service:

People were supported by consistent staff who knew them and their needs well. Permanent staff were supplemented by agency staff who worked at the home regularly. Staff communicated effectively with one another about people’s needs and accountability for people’s care had improved.

Opportunities for people to go out and to take part in activities had increased. This included day centres, in-house activities and leisure activities, such as eating out and shopping.

The leadership and management oversight of the service had improved. The registered manager and assistant service managers (ASMs) provided good support to staff and maintained an effective oversight of the service.

The principles and values of Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance ensure people with a learning disability and or autism who use a service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best outcomes that include control, choice and independence. At this inspection the provider had ensured they were applied.

The outcomes for people using the service reflected the principles and values of Registering the Right Support by promoting choice and control, independence and inclusion. People's support focused on them having as many opportunities as possible for them to gain new skills and become more independent.

There were enough staff on each shift to meet people’s needs and keep them safe. The provider’s recruitment procedures helped ensure only suitable staff were employed. Staff had the induction, training and support they needed to carry out their roles. They understood their roles in keeping people safe from abuse and felt able to speak up about any concerns they had.

Potential risks to people had been assessed and measures put in place to mitigate these. If accidents or incidents occurred, staff took action to reduce the risk of similar incidents happening again. Medicines were managed safely and staff maintained appropriate standards of hygiene and infection control. Staff supported people to maintain good health and worked effectively with any professionals involved in their care.

Staff were kind treated people with respect. 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 supported this practice.

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

At the last inspection the service was rated Requires Improvement. The report of this inspection was published on 30 June 2018.

Following the last inspection, we asked the provider to complete an action plan to show what they would do and by when to improve.

At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider is no longer in breach of regulations.

Why we inspected:

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up:

We will continue to monitor intelligence 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.