Caroline House

Updated 6 March 2021

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 care homes with outbreaks of coronavirus, we are conducting reviews to ensure that the Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) practice was safe, and the service was compliant with IPC measures. This was a targeted inspection looking at the IPC practices the provider had in place.

This inspection took place on 22 January 2021 and was announced.

Updated 6 March 2021

About the service

Caroline House is an nine-bedded residential care home that was providing personal care to people who have a learning disability, sensory impairment, physical disability and health care needs.

The service was registered to provide support to up to nine people and there were nine people using the service at the time of our inspection. The service is larger than recommended by best practice guidance. However, we have rated this service good because the provider had arranged this service in a way that ensured people received person-centred care and were supported to maximise their independence, choice, control and involvement in the community.

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

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.

The service applied the principles and values of Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These ensure that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes that include control, choice and independence.

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.

We observed sufficient staffing levels during the inspection and saw staff were unhurried in their interactions with people. The provider had appropriate policies and systems in place to protect people from abuse. Staff received regular support and supervision and were trained to meet the needs of people living at the service.

People received their medicines as prescribed and there were safe medicines administration systems in place. The home was clean and tidy, and staff were trained in infection control. The provider had processes in place to learn from incidents and accidents and to ensure that people were supported safely.

Comprehensive care plans identified people's needs and the choices they had made about the care and support they received. The provider supported staff to deliver care and support in line with best practice guidance and to support good outcomes for people. The service worked with other organisations to ensure they delivered joined-up care and support and people had access to healthcare services when they needed it. People told us they liked the food and had enough to eat and drink.

There was a strong emphasis on person-centred care. Staff were friendly and caring when supporting people and staff spoke about people with genuine interest and affection. Staff proactively supported people using their preferred communication methods to be involved in making decisions about their care. People were supported with individualised activities.

The provider had an ‘open-door’ culture and staff were positive about the registered manager. The registered manager demonstrated an open and positive approach to learning and development. There was a strong culture of organisational learning to help drive ongoing improvements. People and staff were encouraged to regularly feedback about service delivery and share ideas and suggestions on how the service could be improved.

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 this service was requires improvement (published 12 February 2019) and there were multiple breaches of regulation. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do, and by when, to improve. At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was 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 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.