Clarence Gardens

Updated 20 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 carried out over two days by an inspector. Following the on-site element of the inspection, an Expert by Experience contacted relatives of people accessing this service to ask about their experience.

Service and service type

Clarence Gardens is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as 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

This inspection was unannounced.

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 Healthwatch. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England. 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

We spoke with one person who used the service and 10 relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with the registered manager and six other members of care staff. We reviewed a range of records. This included three 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 were reviewed.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found.

Updated 20 February 2020

About the service

Clarence Gardens is a registered care home providing 24 hour respite support for up to four adults with a learning disability and/or physical disability, for a maximum of 56 days in one calendar year. At the time of inspection, 30 people were accessing this service. On the first day of inspection, three people were accessing this service and on the second day, this number was four.

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

Improvements were needed to managing risks to people and in the safe management of medicines. People and relatives told us they felt safe and steps were taken to protect people from harm. There were sufficiently numbers of suitably recruited staff to care for people. The home was a hygienic living environment.

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. However, Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards authorisations were not in place. People had access to healthcare services when this was needed. People received enough to eat and drink and where possible, people joined in with meal preparation. The home had been adapted to meet people’s care needs.

Staff were kind and caring and showed people respect in their interactions with them. Relatives feedback about staff was consistently positive. People’s privacy and dignity was maintained. People’s personal goals were discussed and several examples were seen where people had succeeded in these personal achievements. These achievements gave people new found confidence which transferred to other parts of their lives.

People’s care plans were personalised and sufficiently detailed. These were regularly reviewed. People’s communications needs were being met. The registered manager said they wanted to have easy read care plans for people to use. People were supported to access the local community.

Some improvements were needed in managing care records. Limited evidence of auditing was seen at the time of inspection. Staff said the registered manager was supportive and approachable. Staff meetings were used to recognise positive staff performance, to share learning outcomes and to engage staff in developing the service. The service worked in partnership with the local community.

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 5 April 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.