Henson Court

About the service

Henson Court is a care home providing accommodation and personal care for up to six adults with learning disabilities and/or a variety of associated health and support needs. At the time of inspection, the service was supporting six people. People live in one large house.

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

Right Support

Relatives told us staff had not always communicated details of incidents with them, this included an incident of unexplained bruising. The provider’s incident management processes had not always effectively managed the risks to people or evidenced learning as a result. People and their families were involved in their care plans, including how to reduce the likelihood of the person becoming distressed, for example by understanding their need to understand their plan for the day. Staff had ensured a variety of supports were available to people including a written checklist and ‘now, then and next’ tools. People were encouraged to learn new skills and do things that were meaningful and excited them. People experienced choice and control over their lives and staff encouraged them to achieve their own levels of maximum independence. People’s diverse communication methods were understood, and staff were proactive in the way they actively involved people in all decisions about their support.

Right Care

Staff promoted equality and diversity in their support for people. They understood people’s cultural needs and provided culturally appropriate care. Some staff could communicate in a person’s native language and people’s diverse dietary needs were respected. 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. Staff communicated sensitively and used a variety of communication methods and observations of gestures and body language. Staff and people cooperated to assess risks people might face. Where appropriate, staff encouraged and enabled people to take positive risks. People had recently moved to this new service and the provider continued to work with people, relatives and professionals to manage the variety of new experiences open to people. Relatives told us how the initial transition process had started well, however, the level of communication had dipped for a while and they were consistently positive about how this had improved since the change of management at Henson Court.

Right culture

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. The newly appointed manager was focussed on positive outcomes for people and development of the staff team. The atmosphere in the service was relaxed and friendly with lots of fun and laughter being shared. Positive relationships between people and staff had been developed that were based on trust and respect. Staff knew and understood people well and were responsive, supporting their aspirations to live a quality life of their choosing. Relatives and professionals had spoken positively about the influence of the new manager and the impact they had on the quality of the service. People told us they were happy living at Henson Court and the staff knew how to support them when they were upset and were kind.

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

Rating at last inspection

This service was registered with us on 18 June 2021 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

We undertook this inspection to assess that the service is applying the principles of Right support right care right culture. This was a planned first inspection following registration with the Care Quality Commission (CQC). 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.

We have found evidence that the provider needs to make improvements. Please see the safe and well-led sections of this full report. You can see what action we have asked the provider to take at the end of this full report.

Enforcement

We are mindful of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our regulatory function. This meant we took account of the exceptional circumstances arising as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic when considering what enforcement action was necessary and proportionate to keep people safe as a result of this inspection. We will continue to monitor the service and will take further action if needed.

We have identified breaches in relation to safeguarding people from abuse and governance at this inspection.

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

Follow up

We 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 alongside the provider and local authority to monitor progress. We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.