9 February 2022
During a routine inspection
About the service
Catherine House is a supported living setting which provides support and personal care to up to eight people some who have a learning disability or mental health support needs. Not everyone who used the service received personal care. 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. At the time of our inspection five people were receiving personal care.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
Right Support - People were able to participate in a range of college courses and community groups. However, although there were sufficient staff to keep people safe people’s opportunities to take part in a range of social activities was limited due to staffing concerns. This meant peoples funded one to one hours were not always provided and were not being monitored.
In other respects, the model of care and setting supported people in having choice, control and independence. People were supported by staff who understood their needs and preferences and encouraged people to make their own decisions regarding their support. The service was in a central location where people were able to access shops, leisure opportunities and public transport.
Risks to people’s safety were assessed and monitored. Staff were aware of people’s anxieties and supported them to manage this. Accidents and incidents were reviewed and action taken to minimise the risk of them happening again.
Right Care – People’s support was person-centred and concentrated on their strengths. There was a warm and friendly atmosphere and people were supported to maintain contact with those who were important to them. Staff had a good understanding of people’s anxieties and sensory needs and worked with others to support people in a holistic way.
People were involved in decisions regarding their support and were encouraged to set goals to work towards. 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.
Right culture - The was a positive culture and people appeared relaxed. Staff treated people with respect and understood how each person preferred their support. Staff communicated well to ensure people’s support was timely and personalised. The service worked positively with other health and social care professionals.
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 inspection to assess that the service is applying the principles of Right support right care right culture.
Enforcement
We have identified a breach in relation to person-centred care as people were not always supported to do things, they enjoyed due to staffing shortages.
Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.
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.