LD Care

Updated 28 September 2022

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.

As part of this inspection we looked at the infection control and prevention measures in place. This was conducted so we can understand the preparedness of the service in preventing or managing an infection outbreak, and to identify good practice we can share with other services.

Inspection team

The inspection was conducted by two inspectors.

Service and service type

LD Care is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. LD Care 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 service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. 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.

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

Notice of inspection

We gave a short period notice of the inspection because some of the people using it could not consent to a home visit from an inspector. This meant that we had to arrange for a ‘best interests’ decision about this.

What we did before the inspection

We looked at all the information we held about the provider, including contact they and others had with us since the last inspection. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make.

During the inspection

We met people who lived at the service and staff on duty who included support workers, senior support workers, the registered manager and the area manager.

We looked at the care records for three people who lived at the service. We looked at other records the provider used for managing the service which included, staff recruitment and training records, meeting minutes and audits. We looked at how medicines, health and safety and infection prevention and control were managed.

We also spoke with the relatives of three people who lived at the service and received written feedback from one other relative. We received feedback from one external professional who worked with the service.

Updated 28 September 2022

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.

About the service

LD Care is a care home for up to nine adults with learning disabilities. Some people also had additional physical disabilities and autism. The service is managed by LD Care Limited, a private organisation providing care and support in four registered care homes in the London Boroughs of Hounslow and Richmond upon Thames. At the time of our inspection, nine young adults were living at the service.

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

The service was able to demonstrate how they were meeting the underpinning principles of right support, right care, right culture.

Right Support

The staff supported people to have maximum possible choice, control and independence. They used personalised communication strategies to support people to understand and make choices. They found creative ways to promote learning and for people to develop new skills. Staff focused on people's strengths so people could have fulfilling and meaningful lives. They saw people as individuals and planned care according to their personalities and interests. Staff supported people to pursue their interests and achieve aspirations and goals. They overcame barriers and found ways to help ensure people took part in a wide range of age appropriate social activities. Staff supported people to be valued members of the local community. Staff did everything they could to avoid restraining people. People benefitted from the interactive and stimulating environment which was adapted to meet their individual needs. Staff enabled people to access specialist health and social care support in the community. Staff supported people with their medicines in a way that promoted their independence and achieved the best possible health outcome.

Right Care

People received kind and compassionate care. Staff protected and respected people’s privacy and dignity. They understood and responded to their individual needs. Staff understood how to protect people from poor care and abuse. The service worked well with other agencies to do so. Staff had training on how to recognise and report abuse and they knew how to apply it. People could communicate with staff and understand information given to them because staff supported them consistently and understood their individual communication needs. People who had individual ways of communicating, using body language, sounds, Makaton (a form of sign language), pictures and symbols could interact comfortably with staff and others involved in their care and support because staff had the necessary skills to understand them. People could take part in activities and pursue interests that were tailored to them. The service gave people opportunities to try new activities that enhanced and enriched their lives. Staff supported people to take positive risks.

Right Culture

People led inclusive and empowered lives because of the ethos, values, attitudes and behaviours of the management and staff. People received good quality care, support and treatment because trained staff and specialists could meet their needs and wishes. People were supported by staff who understood best practice in relation to the wide range of strengths, impairments or sensitivities people with a learning disability and/or autistic people may have. This meant people received compassionate and empowering care that was tailored to their needs. Staff knew and understood people well and were responsive, supporting their aspirations to live a quality life of their choosing. Staff turnover was very low, which supported people to receive consistent care from staff who knew them well. Staff placed people’s wishes, needs and rights at the heart of everything they did. The service enabled people and those important to them to work with staff to develop the service. Staff valued and acted upon people’s views. People’s quality of life was enhanced by the service’s culture of improvement and inclusivity.

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

Why we inspected

We undertook this focused inspection to assess that the service is applying the principles of Right support right care right culture.

For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating. The overall rating for the service has changed from good to outstanding. This is based on the findings at this inspection.

We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was good (published 3 November 2017).

Follow up

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