We carried out a review of the data available to us about Reach Upton Court Road on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about Reach Upton Court Road, you can give feedback on this service.
The service had a registered manager as required. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the CQC 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 registered manager was present and assisted us during the inspection.
At our last inspection we rated the service Good. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of Good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection. However, we found improvements had been made in the Responsive domain which is now rated Outstanding.
People told us they felt safe and they had built trusting relationships with the staff. Medicines were managed safely and people were supported to receive them at the required times. Staff were knowledgeable in how to safeguard people, they had received training and understood their responsibilities to report concerns. Risks related to people and their well-being had been assessed. Measures were in place to minimise identified risks without restricting people’s freedom. The provider had a robust recruitment procedure which was followed to ensure as far as possible only suitable staff were employed. The service was clean, fresh and well maintained. Appropriate personal, protective equipment was supplied and used to help control the spread of infection.
People continued to receive effective support from staff who had the necessary skills to fulfil their role. Staff received an induction and training which was refreshed on a regular basis. Staff felt well supported and received regular one to one supervision and had annual appraisals of their work. Staff supported people to eat a healthy and nutritious diet. When necessary, advice was sought from healthcare professionals in relation to people’s diet and other healthcare needs. People had routine health checks with their GP and were supported to attend appointments with other healthcare professionals. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible, the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.
The service continued to be caring. People told us they liked the staff and said they had were kind towards them. It was clear trusting relationships between people and staff had been built. People laughed and talked with staff in a relaxed manner. Staff understood how to protect people’s privacy and showed respect for people’s wishes to spend time alone and have personal relationships. People were fully involved in making decisions about their care. Staff worked hard to encourage people to develop and maintain as much independence as possible.
The service had improved and showed outstanding practice in responding to people’s individual needs. Staff kept focus on the wishes of each individual and worked in a person-centred way, considering people’s personal preferences, culture, beliefs and protected characteristics. People's support plans were very comprehensive and reflected the extremely person-centred approach taken by the service. Staff had found innovative ways to respond to individuals and enhance their lives for the better. People had opportunities to take part in activities of their choice and were encouraged to try new and different things which would help them live a fulfilled life, as independently as possible. The service was meeting the requirements of the accessible information standard.
The service continued to be well-led. There was an open, empowering, person-centred culture in the service. People benefitted from a stable and longstanding staff team led by a registered manager who provided strong leadership. Staff felt supported in their roles and said they worked as a team to support each other. The service had a clear vision and a set of values which staff demonstrated they were familiar with and committed to achieving. Records were easily accessible, current, complete and reviewed regularly. Feedback was sought and used to monitor the quality of the service. Audits were conducted and used to make improvements.
Further information is in the detailed findings below.
People living at Upton Court Road were supported by staff who knew their needs well. Conversations with staff demonstrated they knew people’s likes and dislikes and how they supported them to promote their independence. We saw good examples of how people were supported to take ownership in regards to aspects of their care in a safe way.
People were treated with dignity and respect. Staff were respectful and polite when speaking to people and engaged in conversations about things they enjoyed. There was laughter and joking throughout the day of our inspection.
People’s safety was promoted through effective risk assessments and procedures in place. Staff had received effective training in order to help them support people with their social and health needs. People’s medicines were managed safely and recruitment checks were in place to ensure staff suitability to work with people living at the service.
The service had a homely feel and people told us they felt happy living at Upton Court Road. There were good procedures in place to assess the quality of the service including the oversight of the day to day running of the service.
Staff told us they felt happy and supported in their roles by an effective management team. Staff were supported to undertake their roles effectively and to support people in an independent and person centred way.
There was a calm atmosphere during our visit. People were supported in sensitive ways, with respect and dignity. People were relaxed around staff. One person said "I like it here, especially the garden". Another person told us how they went out to college and enjoyed it.
People in the service told us that they felt safe and knew how to raise concerns. Each person also told us that they were happy. One person said "staff are very nice" and "helpful".
The service had a system whereby the opinions of people, staff and visitors were listened to, and any complaints or concerns were acted upon immediately.
In June 2013 the provider sent us an update report. The provider reported they had been monitoring progress on the action plan through visits to the service, checks on care records and staff supervision. Checks on records of individual meetings between staff and people using the service showed those records were now up to date. Checks on support plans and person centred plans show the service had addressed the concerns identified in our inspection report. Information on medication in support plans corresponded with people's prescribed medication. Checks by managers on care guidelines, weekly activity records and risk assessments were reported to have found those up to date. Copies of reviews of care were reported to be in people's support plans.
The changes reported by the provider since our visit in January 2013 are considered sufficient to ensure the needs of people using the service are now being met and for the provider to be considered compliant with this Regulation