We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team:

The inspection was carried out on 19 March 2019 by one inspector.

Service and service type:

Lambert House is a residential care home. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided and both were looked at during this inspection.

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.

The service had a registered manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. A registered manager 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:

The inspection was unannounced.

What we did:

We reviewed the information we had received about the service. This included notifications of events that had happened at the service such as deaths and serious injuries, which the provider is required to send to us by law. We looked at the Provider Information Return (PIR). This is information we ask the provider to send to us at least annually to tell us about what the service does well and any improvements they plan to make. This information helped us to plan our inspection.

During the inspection visit, we spoke with one person who used the service and observed a further four people. We also met and spoke with the registered manager, the deputy manager, the team leader, a member of care staff and the cook. We reviewed three people’s care records, discussed the recruitment procedures with the deputy manager and looked at records relating to the management and operation of the service, such as staff training, quality assurance checks and audits.