Archived: No 19 Third Row

Updated 8 January 2016

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

We undertook an announced focused inspection of 19 Third Row on 18 December 2015. This inspection was done to check that improvements to meet legal requirements planned by the provider after our 24 September 2015 inspection had been made. The team inspected the service against two of the five questions we ask about services: is the service safe and is the service well-led.

We announced the inspection 48 hours prior to calling. This was to ensure that people would be at home on the day that we visited.

The inspection team consisted of one inspector. This was because the location supports only two people and we were aware that the environment was their home.

Before the inspection we reviewed the information we held about the home and the action plan sent to us by the provider.

We spoke with the provider’s general manager, inspected the property and reviewed documents related to the previous breaches.

Updated 8 January 2016

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection of this service on 24 September 2015, at which two breaches of legal requirements were found. This was because small electrical items had not been checked to say they were safe to use, a valid five year fixed electrical certificate was not in place and upper floor windows did not have restrictors fitted which met health and safety guidance. Additionally, the manager and general manager did not undertake any formal audits and checks on the service.

After the comprehensive inspection, the provider wrote to us to say what they would do to meet legal requirements in relation to the breaches. We undertook a focused inspection on 18 December 2015 to check that they had followed their plan and to confirm that they now met legal requirements.

This report only covers our findings in relation to these topics. You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the 'all reports' link for ‘19 Third Row’ on our website at www.cqc.org.uk’

19 Third Row is one of four locations owned and run by Mr J & Mrs D Cole and is situated in the village of Linton, near Ashington. It provides accommodation for up to two people with a learning disability, who require assistance with personal care and support. At the time of the inspection there were two people living at the home.

The provider had fitted window restrictors to the upper floor windows to prevent them opening fully and limiting the chances of a fall occurring from a first floor window. The general manager had also undertaken visual checks on small electrical appliances used in the home, to ensure there were no defects or damage to the items which may make them dangerous to use. A qualified electrician had carried out a check on the fixed electrical systems at the home.

The general manager had also commenced weekly audits of the home to ensure that any issues that required addressing or updating were noted and addressed.

At our focused inspection on 18 December 2015, we found that the provider had followed their action plan and legal requirements had been met.