The Care Quality Commission
  • Care Home
  • Care home

Archived: The Walled Garden

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

Calcot Grange, Mill Lane, Reading, Berkshire, RG31 7RS (0118) 945 1712

Provided and run by:
Residential Community Care Limited

All Inspections

15 September 2017

During a routine inspection

This was an unannounced inspection which took place on 15 September 2017.

The Walled Garden is a residential care home which is registered to provide a service for up to ten people with learning disabilities. Nine people were resident in the service on the day of the inspection. People had other associated difficulties such as behaviours that may cause distress to themselves and/or others.

At the last inspection, in September 2015, the service was rated Good. At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

Why the service is rated Good:

There is a registered manager running the service. 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.

People, staff and visitors continued to be protected from harm and the registered manager ensured the service remained as safe as possible. Safety was maintained by staff who had been trained in safeguarding vulnerable adults and health and safety policies and procedures. Staff fully understood how to protect the people in their care and knew who to contact if they had any concerns. General risks and risks to individuals were identified and appropriate action was taken to reduce them, as far as possible.

People benefitted from unusually high staffing ratios which ensured there were always enough staff on duty to meet people’s diverse, complex, individual needs safely. Recruitment systems were in place to make sure, that as far as possible, staff recruited were safe and suitable to work with people. People were supported to take their medicines, at the right times and in the right amounts by trained and competent staff.

People continued to be assisted by well-trained staff who were properly supported to make sure they could meet people’s varied well-being and highly complex needs. Staff dealt very effectively with people’s current and quickly changing needs. The service worked closely with health and other professionals to ensure they were able to meet people’s often, very special 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 practise.

People continued to be supported by an exceptionally caring staff team who were committed to meeting people’s needs with patience and kindness. The service was extraordinarily person centred and had made very positive impacts on people’s feelings of well-being. The staff team were attentive and were able to communicate with people by using detailed individual communication systems.

The service remained very responsive to people’s needs. Support planning was highly individualised which ensured people’s equality and diversity was respected. People were provided with activities to enable them to lead as fulfilling a lifestyle as possible.

The registered manager was respected and ensured the service was well-led. She was described as open, approachable and supportive. The quality of care the service provided continued to be assessed, reviewed and improved, as necessary.

24 September 2015

During a routine inspection

This was an unannounced inspection which took place on 24 September 2015.

The Walled Garden is registered to provide care for up to ten people. The home provides a service for people with learning and associated behavioural and physical disabilities. The service provides support specifically for people whose behavioural difficulties may cause themselves or others harm or distress. There were nine people living in the home on the day of the visit. The home offered ground and first floor accommodation.

There was not a registered manager running the service. 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 registered manager cancelled their registration in August 2015. The provider had begun the recruitment process to appoint a new registered manager. The recently cancelled registered manager was currently running the home.

The service used various methods to keep people as safe as possible. Care workers were trained in, and understood, how to protect people in their care from harm or abuse. People told us they felt very safe in the home. General risks, and those specific to each person were identified and managed appropriately. Risk assessments identified any behaviour that might be distressing to people and staff developed behaviour management plans accordingly. The home’s recruitment process was designed to ensure the staff they employed were suitable and safe to work there. People were supported to take their medication or it was given to them, safely.

The staff team understood the relevance of the Mental Capacity Act 2005, Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) and consent issues which related to the people in their care. The Mental Capacity Act 2005 legislation provides a legal framework that sets out how to act to support people who do not have capacity to make a specific decision. DoLS provide a lawful way to deprive someone of their liberty, provided it is in their own best interests or is necessary to keep them from harm. They had taken any necessary action to ensure they were working in a way which recognised and maintained people’s rights. The staff team liaised with the local authority with regard to people’s mental capacity and was prompt in making DoLS referrals.

People were encouraged to make choices and decisions for themselves. They had as much control over their daily lives as they were able to have. Staff were instructed on how to help people to make their own decisions and choices.

People were helped to look after their health and attend appointments with various health and well-being professionals. They were encouraged to be as independent as they were able to be whilst being kept as safe as possible. People were given the opportunity to participate in activities of their choice. They were treated with dignity and respect at all times.

The staff team were compassionate, caring and committed. They were knowledgeable about the complex needs of people and responded quickly to people to ensure their needs were met. The staff team had formed strong relationships with people and those important to them.

The provider and the manager checked the quality of care they were providing by using a variety of methods. These included the manager regularly looking at all aspects of the running of the home. Additionally the provider worked closely with the manager and was regularly involved with the service. People who lived in the home, staff and other interested parties were given opportunities to put forward their views and ideas. Improvements and developments were made as a result of the quality checks.

Staff told us they felt well supported by the manager and management team, to ensure they were able to offer good care to people. The home worked closely with other community services and professionals to make sure people received all the assistance they needed. Everyone felt valued and involved in the running of the home and were confident to talk to the manager about anything.

Records relating to the care of people and the running of the home were of good quality, accurate, up-to-date and well kept.

24 September 2013

During a routine inspection

We found that the home gave people as many choices as they could. They recognised when people could not fully understand things and when they needed special help to behave in a positive way. They took action to make sure people were supported to be as independent and happy with their behaviour as they could be, as safely as possible.

We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI) which is a tool for observing interactions when people are not able to tell us about their experiences. From this we found that that people were well cared for and treated with respect and dignity. People said, 'we are treated well, it's the most settled I've ever been'. We saw that care staff used people's individual communication methods and were skilled in involving people in daily living and social activities.

People were safeguarded from abuse by the support systems in place in the home. Staff were well trained and supported and knew how to identify abuse and what to do if it were suspected.

The service had a comprehensive range of methods to monitor and assess the quality of care provided. We found that people benefit from safe quality care, treatment and support. There was evidence of effective decision making and good management of risks to people's health, welfare and safety.

17 December 2012

During a routine inspection

People living in the home had individual communication and behavioural needs and the majority were unable to provide their views about their experiences of living in the home. We saw that some people found the presence of a stranger in the home very unsettling and an escalation of challenging behaviour was witnessed.

We were told that independence and individuality were promoted within the home. People living there were supported and enabled to do things for themselves. They were encouraged to express their views using their preferred individual communication styles and to participate in making decisions relating to their care and treatment.

We spoke with two care managers who had experience of the home. Both told us that the people they had placed at the home had improved markedly in terms of their challenging behaviour and overall well being. One care manager told us 'he has a better quality of life since moving to the Walled Garden. He likes his own space and staff have responded well to his needs. His family are happy'. The other told us that 'She is much calmer in meetings and with her family. The behavioural incidents have reduced significantly. The staff are professional and consistent and always communicate with me appropriately. The service supports family relationships well'.

We looked at a range of records, spoke with senior staff and two support staff in private. We saw the communal areas of the home including the kitchen.

16 February 2012

During a routine inspection

People living in the home had individual communication and behavioural needs and were unable to provide their views about their experiences of living in the home. However we saw that people were involved with their care and the running of the home.