Flaxman Avenue

Updated 25 November 2023

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 Health and Social Care Act 2008.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by 1 inspector.

Service and service type

Flaxman Avenue is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing and/or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement dependent on their registration with us. Flaxman Avenue is a care home without nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

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.

Inspection activity started on 25 October 2023 and ended on 27 October 2023. We visited the location’s service on 25 October 2023.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from professionals who work with the service. The provider was not asked to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR) prior to this inspection. A PIR is information providers send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We observed interactions between people and staff, and reviewed feedback from 2 people and their relatives. We spoke with 3 relatives. We spoke with 6 members of staff including the registered manager, the service manager, and the nominated individual. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider. We reviewed 3 people’s care files, including support plans, records of support and their medicine administration records (MARs). We reviewed various other documents and policies relevant to the management of the service.

Updated 25 November 2023

About the service

Flaxman Avenue is a short-break support service providing personal care to 2 people at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to 6 people with a learning disability, autism and /or other sensory and complex needs.

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

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.

Right Support:

People were supported in a service which promoted choice, control and independence. Staffing levels ensured people’s needs were met. People were supported to take their medicines safely.

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.

Right Care:

Risk assessments were in place, however individual risks to people were not always assessed, and control measures reviewed.

We have made a recommendation about how risks are recorded and managed.

People received person-centred care which met their individual needs. People were always treated with dignity and respect. Staff understood they had a responsibility to protect people from abuse and were clear about how to report concerns and these would be acted upon.

Right Culture:

There was a schedule of audits and governance checks. However, these were not always effective.

We have made a recommendation for the provider to review the effectiveness of governance systems in the service.

The culture of the service was empowering for people receiving care and support. People and their families were communicated with in a way which was appropriate for them. Relatives were involved in developing people’s support plans. People were supported to develop skills and be as independent as possible.

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 21 September 2022 and this is the first inspection. The last rating for the service under the previous provider was Good, published on 30 December 2017.

Why we inspected

This was the first inspection since registration.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.