Archived: RNID Action on Hearing Loss 13 Wilbury Gardens

Updated 7 January 2020

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

One inspector undertook the first day of inspection on 5 September 2019 and a second day on 24 October 2019 with a British Sign Language interpreter.

Service and service type

RNID Action for Hearing Loss 13 Wilbury Gardens 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.

RNID Action for Hearing Loss 13 Wilbury Gardens is registered to provide personal care and support for up to eight people. The service provides long term and respite care. people who have a hearing loss. People who lived at the home have a hearing loss and who may have other additional needs such as a learning disability and/or autism or where people are living with dementia or health needs such as diabetes or and mobility needs. At the time of our inspection there were seven people living at the service.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

A comprehensive inspection took place on 5 September 2019 and was unannounced, which meant the provider and staff were not aware that we were coming. A second day of inspection was carried out on 24 October 2019, the second day of inspection was announced so that people could be at home to speak to us if they wished.

What we did before the inspection

Prior to the inspection the provider completed a Provider Information Return. This is information we require providers to send us at least once annually to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report. We reviewed previous inspection reports and notifications received from the service before the inspection. A notification is information about important events which the service is required to send us by law. We used all 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 and one relative. We spoke with five members of staff including the registered manager, deputy manager, senior support workers and support workers. We observed staff and people interacting during our visit.

We reviewed a range of records. This included two people’s care records, risk assessments for three people and medication records for two people. We looked at two staff files in relation to recruitment and staff training records. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

After the inspection

We received feedback by email from three social workers and two relatives, they gave us permission to share their feedback in this report.

Updated 7 January 2020

About the service

This is one of a number of services provided by Action on Hearing Loss formerly The Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID), enabling flexible short- and long-term support for people of all ages. This includes residential care, supported housing accommodation, and community services for people who are deaf, deaf and blind, and who have a hearing loss and additional support needs.

RNID Action for Hearing Loss 13 Wilbury Gardens is registered for up to eight people. It provides care and personal support to people who have a hearing loss and who may have other additional needs such as a learning disability and/or autism or where people are living with dementia. At the time of the inspection, seven people were living at the service. The service is in a large adapted detached house, arranged over three floors accessed by a passenger lift. There were two communal lounges, a communal dining area with an adjoining conservatory and garden for people to use.

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

People told us they felt cared for by staff. Genuine relationships had developed between people and staff and we observed friendly interactions between staff and people. We observed people were relaxed and comfortable in the presence of staff. We observed that the home had a friendly, relaxed and homely atmosphere.

A person said, “I like the staff, they help me and the people I live with, I’m happy here.” Another person told us, “It’s perfect I love it here. I’m really happy here, I want to stay here for life.”

People received high-quality care that met and exceeded their needs. Staff, including managerial staff, were passionate about person-centred care. They were responsive to people's needs and strove to provide personalised care which was focused on supporting people to achieve their goals and wishes. The management and staff team went above and beyond to ensure that people's wellbeing, independence and happiness was at the heart of the service.

Staff promoted and encouraged people to have as much independence as possible. People chose how to spend their day and they took part in activities in the service and were supported to access the community and pursue interests. People were encouraged to maintain relationships that were important to them. This was recorded within people’s care plans. Family and friends were able to visit freely without restriction.

People continued to feel safe and there were enough staff to support them. Staff were knowledgeable and trained in safeguarding and what action they should take if they suspected abuse was taking place. A person told us, “It was too difficult for me to live at home, I know I’m safe here.” A relative told us, “The main concern for a relative of someone in care is ‘Are they Safe’. Safe from harm from the outside world, and safe from harm or abuse within the care residence. I do feel that [Person] is safe, which for me is a huge comfort.”

Staff and people told us they were able to give their views on the service and we saw examples of people being engaged in aspects of the service such as recruitment. Staff told us they felt supported. The provider undertook quality assurance reviews to measure and monitor the standard of the service and drive improvement.

People were being supported to make decisions in their best interests and to be included in making decisions affecting their care such as developing their care plan with staff. The staff had received training in the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). People were supported to access independent advocates.

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.

People and relatives knew how to make a complaint and people felt confident that their feedback was listened to and acted upon.

People told us they received help they needed with their medicines in a way that was timely and reflected their communication and support needs, our observations confirmed this.

People were supported by staff that were competent and confident in their work due to completing mandatory training and specific training to meet people needs, in particular reflecting the varied communication needs of people. A support worker told us, “We have lots of training, mandatory and additional. The training we get reflects the needs of the people.” Staff told us they felt well supported, had regular supervision and annual appraisals.

People were treated with respect. People’s privacy was upheld, and their dignity was maintained.

Care plans guided staff about people’s needs, preferences and how to meet them, for example communication, emotional wellbeing and health conditions such as diet and nutrition. Additional support plan guidance was written by staff for individuals who find it difficult to manage their health conditions such as diabetes.

Recruitment processes continued to be robust, checks were carried out and references were collected to ensure new staff were safe to work within the care sector. People were involved in the shortlisting, interview and selection process.

Accidents and incidents were recorded, and steps continued to be taken to minimise the risk of similar events happening in the future. Risks associated with the environment and equipment were managed. Staff knew how to keep people safe in an emergency such as a fire.

Medicines continued to be managed safely and in accordance with current regulations and guidance. There were systems in place to ensure that medicines had been stored, administered, audited and reviewed appropriately.

People had enough to eat and drink and had choice in what they ate and drank. Staff accommodated any specific dietary requirements, such as for diabetes, or preferences such as being vegetarian or religious requirements were met.

Health and social care were accessible for people and appointments were made for regular check-ups as needed. External professionals we spoke with gave positive feedback about how staff worked in partnership with them.

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 15 March 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

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.