Archived: Woodbridge House

Woodbridge House provides accommodation and personal care for up to 10 people aged between 18 and 65 years, who have a learning disability and autism. At the time of our inspection, the service was full. Woodbridge House is one of several small homes owned by Aitch Care Homes (London) Limited.

The service was a large home, bigger than most domestic style properties. It was registered for the support of up to 10 people. This is larger than current best practice guidance. However, the size of the service having a negative impact on people was mitigated by the building design fitting into the residential area and the other large domestic homes of a similar size. There were deliberately no identifying signs, intercom, cameras, industrial bins or anything else outside to indicate it was a care home. Staff were discouraged from wearing anything that suggested they were care staff when coming and going with people.

The service applied the principles and values of Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These ensure that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes that include control, choice and independence.

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

People were safe at Woodbridge House. Staff knew their responsibilities in relation to keeping people safe from the risk of abuse. Risks were appropriately assessed and mitigated to ensure people were safe. Medicines continued to be managed well so people received their medicines as prescribed.

The provider continued to operate robust recruitment and selection procedures to make sure staff were suitable and safe to work with people. Staff received training, support and supervision to enable them to carry out their roles safely.

People's support plans clearly detailed their care and support needs. People and their relatives were fully involved with the care planning process. Care had been delivered in line with people’s choices. People received the support they needed to stay healthy and to access healthcare services. These were reviewed regularly. Staff supported people to maintain a balanced diet and monitor their nutritional health.

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.

Staff were kind and caring towards people. We observed people’s rights, their dignity and privacy were respected.

People knew how to complain and felt confident any concerns would be listened and responded to by the provider.

There was a positive leadership in the service. The service was well led by a management team who led by example and had embedded an open and honest culture. Staff worked in partnership with other agencies to provide consistent and effective care and support.

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 05 April 2017).

Why we inspected:

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up:

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

Woodbridge House is registered to provide residential care for a maximum of ten people who require varying levels of support to manage conditions such as learning disabilities, autism, Down syndrome, physical disabilities and non-verbal communication disorders. The service is within close proximity to a bus route, local shops and amenities, which gave easy access to the community for people. At the time of our inspection, ten people lived in the home.

At the last Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection in 08 July 2014, the service was rated Good in all domains and overall.

At this inspection we found the service remained good.

People continued to be safe at Woodbridge House. People were protected against the risk of abuse. We observed that people felt safe in the service. Staff recognised the signs of abuse or neglect and what to look out for. Medicines were managed safely and people received them as prescribed.

Staff knew how to protect people from the risk of abuse or harm. They followed appropriate guidance to minimise identified risks to people's health, safety and welfare. There were enough staff to keep people safe. The provider had appropriate arrangements in place to check the suitability and fitness of new staff.

Each person had an up to date, personalised support plan, which set out how their care and support needs should be met by staff. These were reviewed regularly. Staff received regular training and supervision to help them to meet people's needs effectively.

People were supported to eat and drink enough to meet their needs. They also received the support they needed to stay healthy and to access healthcare services. Staff encouraged people to actively participate in activities, pursue their interests and to maintain relationships with people that mattered to them.

The Care Quality Commission is required by law to monitor the operation of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards. The provider and staff understood their responsibilities under the Mental Capacity Act 2005.

Staff were caring and treated people with dignity and respect and ensured people's privacy was maintained particularly when being supported with their personal care needs. 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 registered manager ensured the complaints procedure was made available in an accessible format if people wished to make a complaint. Regular checks and reviews of the service continued to be made to ensure people experienced good quality safe care and support.

The registered manager provided good leadership. They checked staff were focussed on people experiencing good quality care and support. People and staff were encouraged to provide feedback about how the service could be improved. This was used to make changes and improvements that people wanted.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

Care and treatment was planned and delivered in a way that was intended to ensure people's safety and welfare. We spoke with two people who used the service about their experience of living in the home. They told us that they liked their home. They commented "I like it in this home'. 'I am happy here' and 'I choose to go to college once a week and I enjoy it'.

There were effective systems in place to reduce the risk and spread of infection.

Appropriate arrangements were in place in relation to obtaining medicine and the recording of medicine. Medicines were kept safely.

Appropriate checks were undertaken before staff began work.

Staff were able to obtain further relevant qualifications, from time to time.

People were made aware of the complaints system. This was provided in a format that met their needs.

We were introduced to six people living at Woodbridge House during our inspection. We also met three support workers.

We saw that people were properly cared for and supported by the staff with their care needs. The staff demonstrated good insight in helping people with their individual needs. Care plans and assessment records were informative, and helped to guide the staff in giving people the support they needed to live a fulfilling life in the home and the community.

We found that some areas of the service did not look clean and that systems had not been followed to ensure that infection risks were minimised.

The company had systems in place to monitor the on-going quality of the home.