We carried out a review of the data available to us about Haroldstone Home on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about Haroldstone Home, you can give feedback on this service.
Haroldstone Home is a residential home providing personal care for up to four adults with learning disabilities and autistic people with sensory and communication impairments. The home provided four single person rooms and communal areas including a lounge, dining room and private garden. Three people were living at Haroldstone Home at the time of our inspection.
People's experience of using this service and what we found
People were protected from the risk of abuse. People told us they felt safe at the service. Risks to people's safety were managed. Staff were recruited safely. People received their prescribed medicines and medicines were managed safely. The service was clean and hygienic. COVID-19 government guidance was followed by staff.
People's needs were assessed before they moved into the service. Staff had been trained and had the necessary skills and experience to support people to achieve a positive lifestyle. People were supported to eat and drink enough to maintain a balanced diet. People had access to health services. The provider worked closely with external health professionals to monitor people's physical and mental health.
People were treated with kindness and their privacy was respected by staff. People were encouraged to express their views and were involved in making decisions about their support. This included reviewing their care plans or deciding what activities to take part in.
People were supported in line with their communication needs and staff demonstrated an excellent understanding of how to communicate with individuals. People were given information in a way they could understand. People were supported and encouraged to maintain relationships with their friends and relatives.
The registered manager and staff had a clear vision about the service and support they offered to people. A range of audits were completed to ensure good quality services. Staff and the registered manager worked together with other agencies to ensure people received the right care and support. People, staff and relatives were involved in the running of the service and were asked for feedback about the service.
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.
We expect health and social care providers to guarantee autistic people and people with a learning disability the choices, dignity, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. Right support, right care, right culture is the statutory guidance which supports CQC to make assessments and judgements about services providing support to people with a learning disability and/or autistic people.
The service was able to demonstrate how they were meeting the underpinning principles of Right support, right care, right culture.
Right support: People were actively supported to pursue their interests and to develop the skills to lead independent and fulfilling lives. Staff had a good understanding of people's individual support needs and empowered people to achieve their own aspirations.
Right care: people were supported in a person-centred way which promoted their dignity, privacy and human rights. For example, the environment was designed to support people's privacy and independence.
Right culture: Ethos, values, attitudes and behaviours of leaders and care staff ensured people using services lead confident, inclusive and empowered lives.
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 the service was Good (published on 23 February 2018).
Why we inspected
We undertook this inspection as part of a random selection of services rated Good and Outstanding to test the reliability of our new monitoring approach. 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.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our reinspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.
At the last inspection, the service was rated Good.
At this inspection we found the service remained Good.
The care service has been developed and designed in line with the values that underpin the Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These values include choice, promotion of independence and inclusion. People with learning disabilities and autism using the service can live as ordinary a life as any citizen.
People told us they felt safe living at the service and relatives told us staff were reliable. The provider identified, assessed and mitigated risks associated to people’s health, care and mobility needs. Risk assessments were easy to follow and regularly reviewed. Staff understood risks people faced and how to provide safe care. People were happy with medicines support and medicines administration records were appropriately maintained.
The service was clean and well maintained. Staff followed appropriate infection control practices. There were sufficient and suitable staff employed to meet people’s individual needs.
Staff received regular training and supervision, and worked well as a team to provide effective care. People were happy with the food and their nutrition and hydration needs were met by staff who understood their needs. Staff supported people to access healthcare services to maintain their health. 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. Staff sought people’s consent before providing care and people told us they were given choices.
People told us staff treated them with dignity and respect. Staff were trained in equality and diversity measures and understood the importance of respecting people’s privacy.
Staff knew people’s likes and dislikes and people told us they received personalised care. People’s care plans were person-centred and provided sufficient information to staff on how to support people. People and relatives told us they had never made a complaint but would speak to the registered manager if they were not happy about anything.
The service was well-led by the registered manager who understood people’s needs and worked well with people and staff to improve the care delivery. There were effective audits and monitoring systems in place to ensure people’s safety and quality of care.
The service provides accommodation and support with personal care for up to five adults with learning disabilities. At the time of our inspection five people were using the service.
There was a registered manager at the service at the time of our inspection. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.
The experiences of people who lived at the home were positive. People told us they felt safe living at the home, staff were kind and compassionate and the care they received was good. We found staff had a good understanding of their responsibility with regard to safeguarding adults.
People’s needs were assessed and their preferences identified as much as possible across all aspects of their care. Risks were identified and plans in place to monitor and reduce risks. Medicines were stored and administered safely.
Staff undertook training and received regular supervision to help support them to provide effective care. People were cared for by sufficient numbers of suitably qualified, skilled and experienced staff. Robust recruitment and selection procedures were in place and appropriate checks had been undertaken before staff began work.
The registered manager and staff we spoke with had a good understanding of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). MCA and DoLS is law protecting people who are unable to make decisions for themselves or whom the state has decided their liberty needs to be deprived in their own best interests.
People told us they liked the food provided and we saw people were able to choose what they ate and drank. People had access to health care professionals as appropriate.
People’s needs were met in a personalised manner. We found that care plans were in place which included information about how to meet a person’s individual and assessed needs. The service had a complaints procedure in place.
The service had a management structure with clear lines of accountability. Staff told us the service had an open and inclusive atmosphere and the registered manager was approachable and accessible. The service had various quality assurance and monitoring mechanisms in place. These included surveys, audits and staff and resident meetings.
We saw feedback from one professional in one person's file stating 'Staff have worked on developing skills with X in the last year and progress was observed.'
The home was clean and tidy on the day of our visit. Staff told us they carried out cleaning duties throughout their shift. This was dictated by the shift plan, which we saw a copy of.
We found that there were adequate numbers of staff working within the home and they were suitably qualified to meet people's needs.
We saw a copies of various meetings held within the home. These showed that staff discussed what improvements were needed within the service.
People who use the service attended regular weekly activities. One user attended Scope Day Centre three times a week and we saw in users files that they have attended courses such as drama classes, soap making, pottery and arts and crafts classes at the local college.
The provider had clear policies and procedures in place that addressed safeguarding. Pictorial poster were also displayed on the notice board showing various forms of abuse and what people who use the service should do if they were concerned about abuse.
We saw evidence that regular staff training was provided by the organisation through internet based 'e learning' and in house training. Topics covered included mental capacity, moving and handling, food hygiene, safeguarding, supporting people with learning disabilities and health and safety.
The provider sent questionnaires to professionals and we saw a sample of these from August 2012. One stakeholder commented that 'the service is very good. The service user clearly receives a very high standard of care and support. They endeavour to be person centred.'