Archived: Rutland House Community Trust

Rutland House Community Trust is a domiciliary care service registered to provide personal care to young adults and older people with a learning disability or autism, a physical disability, sensory impairment or dementia. People were supported in their own homes. Nine people were receiving personal care at the time of the inspection.

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

Quality assurance systems and processes enabled the registered manager to identify areas for improvement. We have made a recommendation about reviewing audits. The service regularly sought feedback from people about their care experience to ensure any issues were promptly addressed.

The registered manager was passionate about providing person-centred care. They knew people well as they were involved in care delivery. A relative said of the registered manager, “You couldn't wish for anyone better, she's absolutely very wonderful. If you leave a message she always calls back and is always pleasant and approachable.”

People received care from staff that were kind, caring and compassionate. Staff ensured people’s health, emotional and social wellbeing needs were met. People and staff had built positive relationships together and enjoyed spending time in each other’s company. People’s diversity was respected and embraced. Staff were open to people of all faiths and beliefs and people’s privacy and dignity was respected.

The service supported people to express their views, preferences, wishes and choices. Staff took time to find out about people’s hobbies and interests and supported them to engage in these, while promoting people’s independence.

The service was flexible and responsive to people’s individual needs and preferences. People knew how to raise a concern or make a complaint and felt confident this would be addressed.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the

least restrictive ways possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. People were supported to eat and drink enough and to attend healthcare appointments as needed.

People were supported by staff that kept them safe from harm or abuse. People received medicines on time and were supported by staff that had been safely recruited. Staff had a good knowledge of risks associated with providing people’s care and received training relevant to people’s needs.

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 07 September 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.

This announced inspection took place on 16 August 2017.

There was a registered manager in post at the time of our inspection. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

The provider’s values and vision was clear and focussed on providing care that was person centred and that would enable people to remain as independent as possible. All staff demonstrated a commitment to providing a service for people that met their individual needs. Staff described having positive relationships with the people they cared for and knew their needs, likes and preferences well.

There were formal systems in place to assess people’s capacity for decision making under the Mental Capacity Act 2005. Assessments were documented as required and best interest meetings held and recorded where applicable.

People received safe care and support. Staff understood their role in safeguarding people and they knew how to report concerns. The service had enough staff to deliver the kind of care people needed. People's medication was managed safely and staff were recruited and checked to ensure they were safe to work with people who used the service.

Staff had a good understanding of people’s support needs and had the skills and knowledge to meet them. Staff received updates to their training and regular supervisions. Staff were clear about their roles and responsibilities in caring for people and described being well supported by the management.

Care records contained risk assessments and management plans to protect people from identified risks. They gave information for staff informed staff on the measures required to minimise any risks. Staff were vigilant regarding people’s changing health needs and sought guidance from relevant healthcare professionals. People's nutritional risks were assessed and support was provided that met people's nutritional needs and preferences.

Staff and people's relatives were confident that if they had any concerns they would be listened to and any concerns would be addressed.

The provider monitored the quality and safety of the service and staff regularly monitored the support people received. Incidents and accidents were recorded and action taken as a result.