SeeAbility - Applewood Residential Home

Updated 5 February 2020

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 conducted by one inspector.

Service and service type

Seeability – Applewood Residential Home is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

We gave 24 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because some of the people using the service could become anxious when new people visited the home. We wanted to give staff time to prepare people for our arrival.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with 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. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection-

Some people were not able to speak to us due to their communication support needs. Other people chose not to discuss the home and their experiences with us. Therefore, we spent time observing people, their interactions with staff and how their needs were met. We spoke with six members of staff, including the registered manager, regional manager, deputy manager, two support workers and an agency staff member.

We reviewed a range of records. This included four people’s care records and multiple 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 four relatives of people living at the service. We also contacted two professionals but were unable to obtain any feedback.

Updated 5 February 2020

About the service

Seeability - Applewood Residential Home is a residential care home providing personal care for younger people with learning disabilities, mental health or autism support needs. There were five people living there at the time of inspection. The service was primarily for people who had sight impairments, however not all people had this support need.

Four people’s bedrooms were based in the main part of the house, some with ensuite facilities and others with a communal bathroom. Another person had their own self-contained flat built into an annexe attached to the house. There were communal areas that all people could use, as well as a large, well- maintained garden.

The service has been developed and designed in line with the principles and values that underpin Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. This ensures that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes. The principles reflect the need for people with learning disabilities and/or autism to live meaningful lives that include control, choice, and independence. People using the service receive planned and co-ordinated person-centred support that is appropriate and inclusive for them.

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

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.

Although people didn’t tell us they felt safe, they appeared comfortable and relaxed around staff and calm when receiving support. Risks were managed in a positive way, enabling people to do the things they wanted to and be independent. There were enough staff to meet people’s needs and they were recruited in a safe way. Medicines were also given safely by trained and competent staff. When incidents occurred, these were reviewed for patterns or trends and actions taken to prevent reoccurrence.

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’s nutrition and hydration needs were met and they were supported to have positive wellbeing by a number of health and social care professionals. The building had been effectively adapted to ensure that it met the needs of all people. Staff had the induction, skills and knowledge to ensure that they knew how to work with people and meet all of their support needs.

We observed that positive relationships had been built between people and staff and relatives told us they thought staff were kind, caring and attentive. Staff had a good understanding of respecting and promoting people’s dignity and privacy. We saw examples throughout the inspection of people being encouraged to be as independent as possible. This included the use of specialised equipment for those with a visual impairment.

People continued to be supported to do activities of their choosing, that suited their hobbies and interests. They were encouraged to maintain relationships with those that were important to them. Staff knew people’s communication needs well and used a variety of tools to ensure this was encouraged and promoted. Complaints had been managed in a professional and efficient way. Outcomes were shared and complainant’s views about the complaint’s process considered important.

Relatives and staff spoke highly about the registered manager and felt the service was well-led. We could see that the registered manager knew people very well and promoted a positive, person-centred work ethic. The registered manager had good oversight of the service and sought feedback from others to continuously improve. They understood the importance of working together with others to achieve positive outcomes for people.

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

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was good (published 16 January 2017).

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.