Archived: Rainbow Lodge

Updated 18 October 2019

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 Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

This inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Service and service type

Rainbow Lodge is a care home. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or 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.

The service did not have a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission, because their registration did not require this. The provider is legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided. A manager was responsible for the day to day running of the service. We have referred to them as ‘manager' throughout this report.

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. We sought feedback from professionals who work with the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all of this information to plan our inspection

During the inspection

We spoke with three people who used the service about their experience of the care provided. We also spoke with two staff and the manager. We reviewed a range of documents. This included two people’s care plans and medicine records. We looked at three staff files including training and supervision, and a variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures.

After the inspection

Following the inspection we spoke with three health professionals to gather their feedback.

Updated 18 October 2019

About the service

Rainbow Lodge is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to four people with learning disabilities and/or autism. At the time of our inspection three people were living at this service.

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 received planned and co-ordinated person-centred support that was appropriate and inclusive for them.

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

Everyone spoke positively about the service. People were relaxed in their own home and responded well when staff interacted with them. Staff listened to people and offered support to achieve their goals when this was needed. The service demonstrated positive outcomes for people which reflected the principles and values of Registering the Right Support. This included supporting people to make their own decisions and choices to maintain independence and control of their lives. People’s life experiences were improved by staff accessing the right support at the right time, to maintain positive outcomes for people’s health conditions. This had a positive impact on people’s wellbeing and mental health. People had opportunity to access work placements and gain new skills through social interactions and activities.

Improvements had been made to ensure safe recruitment practices were followed. The systems in place supported staff to safeguard people from abuse or harm. Risk assessments had detailed guidance for staff to mitigate potential risks. Clear processes were in place to record, analyse and learn from accidents and incidents. Medicines were managed, stored and disposed of appropriately.

Care plans were person-centred and tailored to meet people’s needs. People’s preferences and religious beliefs were explored and documented.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; policies and systems supported this practice. People were provided with information they needed and were encouraged to be involved in all aspects of their care. Staff knew the importance of asking for people’s consent before delivering care and support to them.

Staff attended regular refresher training, supervision and staff meetings.

People were encouraged to eat healthy foods to ensure optimum nutrition. They had access to kitchen facilities to prepare their own food and drinks when they were able to. Some people were involved in preparing meals and setting the dining tables.

People and staff spoke positively about the manager. Everyone advised the manager had a proactive approach to addressing any concerns they might have; people were confident to discuss issues with them. Audits had been completed to analyse and improve the quality of the service. In addition, the provider extensively worked alongside other key organisations such as the local authority. The changes made had impacted positively for people living at the service.

The Secretary of State has asked the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to conduct a thematic review and to make recommendations about the use of restrictive interventions in settings that provide care for people with, or who might have, mental health problems, learning disabilities and/or autism. Thematic reviews look in-depth at specific issues concerning quality of care across the health and social care sectors. They expand our understanding of both good and poor practice and of the potential drivers of improvement.

As part of thematic review, we carried out a survey with the registered manager at this inspection. This considered whether the service used any restrictive intervention practices (restraint, seclusion and segregation) when supporting people. At the time of our inspection the service did not use restrictive intervention practices.

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

Rating at last inspection and update

The last rating for this service was Requires Improvement (published 31 August 2018).

The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve.

At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.

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.