Archived: Homefield College Limited - 76 Cossington Road

Homefield College Limited - 76 Cossington Road is a residential care home providing personal care to three people with a learning disability or autistic spectrum disorder at the time of the inspection. The service is registered to support up to three people.

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.

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

Improvements were being made to managerial quality assurance systems and processes to enable the registered manager to have a better oversight of the service. People knew the management team by name as they regularly provided support to people. People, relatives and staff provided positive feedback about the management team. The service sought feedback from people about their care experience to ensure any issues or concerns were promptly addressed.

MCA assessments had been undertaken, improvements were needed to the recording of best interest decisions. However, we found people were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive ways possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. People’s needs were assessed before receiving care from the service to inform the development of their care plans.

People received care from staff that were kind, caring and compassionate. People and staff had built positive relationships together and enjoyed spending time together. Staff were respectful and open to people of all faiths and beliefs. People’s privacy and dignity was respected.

People were supported by staff that took time to find out about their hobbies, interests and what was important to them. People accessed planned daytime activities, and outside of these engaged in activities of their choosing. Easily accessible complaints information was available to people living at the home. People knew who to speak with if they had any concerns and felt confident their concerns would be addressed.

People felt safe and were supported by staff that kept them safe from harm or abuse. Medicines were administered on time and people were supported by staff that had been safely recruited. Staff had a good knowledge of risks associated with providing people’s care. Accidents and incidents were reported, and lessons were learned.

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.

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. People's support focused on them having as many opportunities as possible for them to gain new skills and become more independent.

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 9 July 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.

People told us they felt safe living at Homefield College Limited – 76 Cossington Road. A relative we spoke with agreed with what they told us. Staff continued to keep people safe from avoidable harm because they understood their responsibilities. Risks associated with people’s care and support were assessed and monitored. New staff members were appropriately recruited and sufficient numbers of staff were employed to meet the care and support needs of those living there. People continued to be supported with their medicines in a safe way.

People were supported by a staff team that had been appropriately trained, supervised and supported. People’s human rights were protected because staff were aware of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005 and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). People were supported to maintain good health and they had access to relevant healthcare services. People's dietary requirements had been identified and they had been involved in developing menus to include their own likes and preferences.

People were supported by a staff team that was kind and caring and who treated them with dignity and respect. People were supported to make choices about their care and support and their independence was promoted.

People had plans of care that had been developed with them, their relatives and others that knew them well. This meant that the staff team were able to support them in a way they preferred. The staff team knew the needs of the people they were supporting well. People knew what to do if they had a concern and they were reminded of this through regular meetings and conversations.

The staff team felt supported by the registered manager. People’s thoughts of the service were sought on an informal basis, providing them with the opportunity to be involved in how the service was run. Systems were in place to monitor the quality of the service being provided.

Further information is in the detailed findings below

We found that people had access to a wide range of community facilities and courses, dependent on their individual needs and choices. These included activities such as learning independent living skills, horticulture, art, drama and swimming. The service had a fully working caf' known as 'Barrow Treats' in a neighbouring village and people were supported to work within the caf' as part of their timetable of activities. In addition, the service also had an internet caf' known as 'Sip and Surf' in Loughborough. People were encouraged and supported to participate in cleaning, food shopping and meal preparation and we found that people's independence was promoted by the service.

We looked at the records of one person who used the service and found care plans were detailed and thorough and provided clear guidance to staff about how the persons' care should be delivered.

However, we found that the service did not have suitable arrangements in place for obtaining people's consent and acting in accordance with the best interests of the person when they were unable to consent to the care and treatment being provided.

Staff had been appropriately screened to ensure they were suitable to work with vulnerable people. Staff we spoke with demonstrated a good understanding of the needs of people who used the service and treated people with dignity and respect.

Records we looked at were accurate and fit for purpose.