Eversley

Eversley is registered to provide accommodation with personal care needs to eight people who have a learning disability or autistic spectrum disorder. There were 7 people living at Eversley at the time of this inspection.

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

There were a number of outstanding fire risks and repairs needed for the environment, such as a fire risk assessment identifying risks needing attention to improve fire safety.

The garden areas were in need of maintenance to help improve and enhance living areas for people.

Auditing of the service had not identified appropriate actions to show improvements to managing supervision of staff, improve training uptake of necessary topics and management of each person's one to one hours. Staff had not heard of CQC 's publication, 'Right are, right support, right culture.' The area manager and home manager were responsive and by day two of this inspection had taken some actions to manage training, supervision and responded to fire risks.

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 assessment and judgements about services supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people and providers must have regard to it.

People received care and support that was tailored to their individual needs and wishes. People and their relatives were actively involved in planning and reviewing their care plans. People and relatives shared very positive comments about the staff and the support they received. Staff knew people well and were responsive to changes in their needs.

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 had the necessary capacity assessments and legal processes in place to ensure their rights were fully respected

People continued to receive care and support that protected them from the risk of harm and abuse. Staff knew how to recognise and report the signs of abuse and poor practice.

Staff monitored people's health and supported them to access and follow healthcare advice. People received their medicines as prescribed and accurate records were maintained.

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was rate good published (27/9/2017). The service has been rated requires improvement at this inspection.

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service. We undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of safe and well-led only. For those key question not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection by selecting the 'all reports' link for Eversley on our website at www.cqc.org.uk

Enforcement

We have identified a breach of the regulations in relation to lack of effective governance of the service and safe care and treatment.

Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.

Follow up

Will request an action plan from the provider to understand what they will do to improve the standards of quality and safety. We will work with the local authority to monitor progress. We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect the service.

Heathcotes (Eversley) is registered to provide accommodation with personal care needs to eight people who have a learning disability or autistic spectrum disorder. There were eight people living at the scheme during our inspection. The service is set over three floors and has a large communal lounge, kitchen and dining room. There is access to front and back gardens with a patio area.

We found the following examples of good practice.

The service had a dedicated staff team and they ensured people were admitted safely. People were supported in the service in accordance with national guidance.

They supported people and their relatives to understand the policies and procedures surrounding protection against COVID 19, the isolation processes and how the service could help them to keep people safe. Information was available in pictorial and easy read format.

During our visit we observed the staff using Personal Protective Equipment, (PPE) safely. There were sufficient stocks of PPE available. A staff member said, “We have always had ample PPE.”

People living in the home and staff were tested regularly for COVID-19. There were no staff employed who had not been vaccinated as now required.

The home was clean and hygienic. Cleaning schedules were in place and PPE stations placed around the home. Additional cleaning protocols were in place to ensure all areas of the building were regularly sanitised.

Relatives spoke very positively about the service. Comments included; "I speak to [Name] every day with the support of staff", "I couldn't wish for [Name] to be in a better place", "[Name] was supported to isolate in their room following discharge from hospital recently" and "Support staff contact us regularly to keep us updated."

Heathcotes (Eversley) is registered to provide accommodation with personal care needs to eight people who have a learning disability or autistic spectrum disorder. There were eight people living at the scheme during our inspection. The service is set over three floors and has a large communal lounge, kitchen and dining room. There is access to front and back gardens with a patio area.

There was a registered manager in post who was on planned leave on the first day of our inspection but present on the second day 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.

At our inspection on 26 and 26 June 2015 the service was rated as Good. At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

People continued to receive care and support that protected them from the risk of harm and abuse. Staff knew how to recognise and report the signs of abuse and poor practice. There were enough suitably trained staff employed to meet people’s complex needs. The provider followed safe recruitment checks to ensure prospective staff were suitable to work at the home

People were supported to have choice and control over their lives. Where people were unable to make certain decisions for themselves, these were made in their best interests by people who knew then well.

People were supported by staff who had the skills and knowledge to meet their individual needs. Staff were very positive about the variety and quality of training available to them. Staff felt well supported and valued.

Staff monitored people’s health and supported them to access and follow healthcare advice. People received their medicines as prescribed and accurate records were maintained.

Staff encouraged people to follow healthy diets and ensured they had enough to eat and drink. People’s dietary needs were assessed and met by staff to reduce the risk of choking.

People were cared for by staff who were kind and considerate. Staff had formed positive working relationships with people and their relatives. Staff treated people with dignity and respect and supported them to be as independent as possible.

People received care and support that was tailored to their individual needs and wishes. People and their relatives were actively involved in planning and reviewing their care plans. Staff knew people well and were responsive to changes in their needs.

People and their relatives had not had cause to complain but felt confident that any issues they did raise would be dealt with effectively.

The registered manager had a clear vision for the service that was shared and worked towards by staff. There was an open and inclusive culture at the service where the views of people, their relatives and staff were actively sought and worked towards.

The registered manager was enthusiastic in their approach and lead by example. People, relatives and staff found them friendly, approachable and effective in their role.

The provider had a range of checks in place to monitor and drive improvement in the service.

Further information is detailed in the report below.

We saw people's needs were assessed and care records were personalised to the individual. Care plans contained information about individual preferences and promoted the person's independence where possible. People's progress was monitored monthly and relatives kept fully informed of any changes. We found people's health and welfare was checked regularly and people received the support they required.

We reviewed three staff files and spoke to two staff members. We found that staff were appropriately supported and trained to care for people. We observed people were well cared for and treated kindly.

We looked at the provider's safeguarding arrangements. We saw the provider had local safeguarding and whistleblowing policies and all staff had received training in how to identify and respond to signs of abuse.

The provider undertook regular quality audits to check and monitor the quality of the service provided. A satisfaction questionnaire had also recently been sent out to ask for people's views and opinions on the service provided. Only one questionnaire had been returned at the time of our visit but the feedback received was excellent.