Ebony House

Updated 21 December 2022

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. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

As part of this inspection we looked at the infection control and prevention measures in place. This was conducted so we can understand the preparedness of the service in preventing or managing an infection outbreak, and to identify good practice we can share with other services.

Inspection team

The inspection was conducted by one inspector.

Service and service type

Ebony House is a 'care home'. People in care homes receive accommodation and personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations. At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. The provider was not asked to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR) prior to this inspection. A PIR is information providers send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 1 person who lives at the home, we observed interactions between people using the service and staff. We spoke with 4 staff including the registered manager, 2 care staff and the team leader. We spoke with 2 relatives. We reviewed 4 people’s care records including risk assessments and 3 staff files in relation to recruitment. We also reviewed a range of management records including staff training and supervision, quality audits, medicines, and complaints. We reviewed documents sent by the registered manager.

Updated 21 December 2022

About the service

Ebony House is a residential care home providing personal care up to a maximum of 8 people. The service provides support to adults with a learning disability and autism. At the time of our inspection there were 8 people using the service. The home was spread across two houses next door to each other, bedrooms were located on the ground and 1st floor. There was outside space available with a seating area. Both kitchens and shared bathrooms were spacious.

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices and independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. 'Right support, right care, right culture' is the guidance CQC follows to make assessments and judgements about services supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people and providers must have regard to it.

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

Right Support:

The home was suitable for people, people’s bedrooms were personalised and people told us they had been able to choose their own decorations, however some areas needed attention, the communal areas had worn or old furniture which needed replacing. The registered manager had an action plan in place to address this area. Staff supported people to make decisions following best practice in decision-making. Staff communicated with people in ways that met their needs. The provider had an effective system in place to ensure people’s consent was obtained in line with legislation.

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 Care:

Care was person-centred and promoted people’s dignity, privacy and human rights. Staff understood how to protect people from poor care and abuse. The service worked well with other agencies to do so. Staff had training on how to recognise and report abuse and they knew how to apply it. People using the service were protected from abuse because staff had a good understanding of safeguarding and how to report concerns. People told us they were safe living at the service. Care records contained risk assessments with clear guidance for staff to follow. Medicines were managed safely, however staff had not recorded reasons for administering ‘as and when needed’ medicine. The registered manager had put additional checks in place following our inspection. Staff were recruited safely. People had individual activity plans in place that reflected people’s interests and preferences.

Right Culture:

The ethos, values, attitudes and behaviours of leaders and care staff ensured people using services lead confident, inclusive and empowered lives. People received good quality care and support because trained staff and specialists could meet their needs and wishes. People's needs had been assessed before using the service. Care plans reflected these assessments. Some relatives told us they were involved in people’s care planning and reviews. Staff were competent in their roles as they had the skills, experience and knowledge to provide quality care. Staff understood people's needs and worked well with healthcare professionals. The provider had effective auditing systems in place to monitor the quality of care. The service was well-led because the registered manager was knowledgeable and had good oversight of the service and the needs of people.

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

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was good (published 22 June 2021)

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

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.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the 'all reports' link for Ebony House on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.