The Old Rectory

Updated 24 January 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. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team: An inspector visited the service.

Service and service type: The Old Rectory is a 'care home.' People in care homes receive accommodation and personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. The Care Quality Commission (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. We visited the service on 7 January 2020.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. This included statutory notifications sent to us by the registered manager about events that had occurred at the service. A notification is information about important events which the provider is required to tell us about by law.

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 took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report.

We met 11 people and spoke with two relatives to ask them about their experience of the care provided. We looked at three people's care records and at their medicine records. We observed staff interactions with people in communal areas.

We spoke with the registered manager, business manager and with six members of staff which included five care staff and maintenance staff. We looked at three staff members files around staff recruitment, induction, supervision, appraisal and at staff training records. We also looked at quality monitoring records relating to the management of the service. We sought feedback from health and social care professionals who worked with people and staff at the home. We received a response from three of them.

Updated 24 January 2020

About the service: The Old Rectory is a 15 bedded care home for people with learning disabilities in Musbury, near Axminster. It specialises in caring for people with autism spectrum disorder and health, emotional and behavioural needs. The provider is Oakprice Care Limited, a family run business. People who live there range from young adults to older people. At the time of our inspection there were 15 people living there.

People's experience of using this service:

The Old Rectory provided people with a homely, happy and friendly environment. People were supported by staff that were caring and compassionate. People were treated with dignity and respect and in a way that was free from discrimination. People were encouraged to make their own decisions and staff understood how people communicated their choices.

People received a personalised service from friendly, supportive staff. People liked the staff and enjoyed being with them. Staff knew people's needs and preferences well. Relatives spoke highly of the staff team and the registered manager and said they made sure people had enjoyable experiences and a happy and varied social life.

People were relaxed around staff and relatives said the service was safe. Staff demonstrated an awareness of each person's safety and how to minimise risks for them. People's concerns were listened and responded to. Accidents and incidents were used as opportunities to learn and improve the service.

People were supported by staff with the skills and knowledge to meet their needs. Staff had regular training and felt confident in their role. They worked in partnership with local health and social care professionals to keep people healthy.

The service was well led. People, relatives and professionals said the registered manager and business manager were approachable, organised, and acted on feedback. Quality monitoring systems included audits, observation of staff practice and regular checks of the environment with continuous improvements in response to findings.

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.

The service was a large domestic style property. It is registered for up to 15 people. Although this is larger than current best practice guidance for learning disability services, any potential negative impact on people was mitigated because people lived in smaller groups together, within four separate units. The outcomes for people using the service reflected the principles and values of Registering the Right Support by promoting choice and control, independence and inclusion. Ongoing efforts were being made to find new opportunities for several younger people to undertake stretching and interesting work, towards gaining new skills and increased confidence.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff assisted them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

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

Rating at last inspection: Good. (report published June 2017).

Why we inspected: This was a planned inspection based on the rating at the last comprehensive inspection. At this inspection, the service remained Good.

Follow up: We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received, we may inspect sooner.