All inspections: Sandpiper - Care Quality Commission

Date of assessment 1 to 17 April 2026. Sandpiper is a residential care home providing care to people with a learning disability and autistic people which can accommodate up to 6 people. At the time of our inspection, 6 people were living at the home.

We assessed the service against ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ guidance to make judgements about whether the provider guaranteed people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. The provider was meeting the principles of right support, right care, right culture.

At our last assessment we rated this service as good. At this assessment the rating has remained good.

Systems and processes were in place to assess risks to people and ensure they were safeguarded from avoidable harm. Staff were recruited safely and received training relevant to their role.

Staff were caring and attentive to people’s needs. They understood how to keep people safe and how to report concerns. They told us they were well supported by the manager.

Staff treated people with respect, they supported people to make their own choices and promoted their independence. People were visibly comfortable when being supported by the staff team and there was a relaxed atmosphere in the service.

There was a relatively new management team at the service. They acknowledged areas of improvement, responded positively to our feedback, and were willing to make changes where required.

We found some improvements were needed to ensure people’s medicines were always administered as prescribed, and any outcomes from people’s health appointments were clearly recorded and followed up on as necessary.

Sandpiper is a fully accessible residential care home for people with a learning disability and complex needs. At the time of inspection there were six people using the service which is the maximum number of people the service can accommodate. 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.

At our last comprehensive inspection in March 2017 the service was rated 'Good'. At this inspection we found the service remained good. You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection by selecting the 'all reports' link for Sandpiper on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

People were protected from the risk of potential abuse. Staff were knowledgeable about safeguarding procedures and knew what to do if they had concerns about the service.

People were protected from risks to their health and wellbeing because risk assessments to guide staff were accurate and provided staff with sufficient detail about how to manage specific risks.

Medicines were well managed and there were enough staff to meet people's needs.

Newly appointed staff were supported in their role by an induction period.

Staff developed caring relationships with people using the service and respected their diversity and dignity.

People were supported to get enough to eat and drink and people had access to healthcare professionals.

People and their relatives were involved in planning their care and care records included information about people's likes and dislikes and promoting their independence.

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.

There was a positive and open culture at the service.

We inspected this service on the 21 March 2016. This was an unannounced inspection. At our last inspection in September 2013 no concerns were identified.

Sandpiper provides accommodation and personal care for up to six people who could have a learning disability, autism and or mental health needs. It does not provide nursing care.

At the time of this inspection there were six people living at the home. Sandpiper has six bedrooms, a kitchen, dining room, lounge, office, laundry room, games room and gardens.

There was a registered manager in post. 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 was present during the inspection.

People, staff and relatives felt the home was safe although not all incidents were being reported when required to the local safeguarding authority. The registered manager took immediate action and made all necessary referrals following our inspection.

People received their medicines safely and when required by staff who had received training.

People were supported by staff who had appropriate checks in place prior to commencing their employment. People were supported by adequate staffing levels and staff supported people in a kind and caring manner. Staff demonstrated they knew people well and felt supported and able to raise any concerns with the registered manager.

People received a service that was based on their personal needs and wishes. People who were unable to consent to care and treatment had completed assessments and best interest decisions paperwork in place that involved significant others. Staff gave people choice and had received training in the principles of The Mental Capacity Act 2005.

People were able to receive visitors whenever they wished and relatives were able to visit as often as they liked. People were supported by staff who received regular supervision and training to ensure they were competent and skilled to meet their individual care needs.

People, relatives, staff and health professional’s views were sought so that improvements could be sought. People and relatives felt happy to raise a complaint and were aware of the provider’s complaints policy. Quality assurance systems were not always ensuring they identified areas for improvement prior to our inspection. The homes records were well organised and accessible.

In this report the name of two registered managers appear who were not in post and not managing the regulatory activities at this location at the time of the inspection. Their names appear because they were still the Registered Managers on our register at the time.

There were five people living at Sandpiper when we visited and we spoke to four of them. Three of them told us that they enjoyed living there. The fourth was unable to speak but indicated that he was happy. We observed that there was a homely, safe and friendly environment. We looked at comments written by people's families. They were all complimentary, with comments such as " We know our daughter is well cared for at Sandpiper. Her physical and mental health has improved".

We observed that people's privacy and dignity was respected and that they were included in making decisions about their care. They were encouraged to be as independent as possible and support was given so that they could participate in hobbies that interested them.

The provider had developed a team of skilled and committed staff who provided a sensitive and caring service. The staff were supported and managed effectively and were encouraged to update their skills and knowledge. They demonstrated a good understanding of Protection of Vulnerable Adults issues and were diligent in balancing someone's independence with their safety.

The manager told us the philosophy of care at Sandpiper is to promote independence, individuality and personal development in all aspects of daily living. Their approach to care provision is to enable each person to maximise his or her individual potential.

We met the Vocational Programmes Coordinator. They told us how they had worked with the people who lived at the home, to provide them with activities and work to meet their interests and promote independence. We saw a lot of pictures of people enjoying these activities as well as life story documents which each person living in the home had been supported to write.

At the time of the inspection there were six people living at the home. We spoke with all six of the people who used the service and five members of staff. People we spoke with were complimentary about the service they received. They told us they were involved in making choices about their lives and were treated with dignity and respect. One resident said "it's good here. Staff are nice to us". All people we spoke with told us they felt safe at the home and were supported by kind staff.

Peoples' needs were met by competent staff who were supported by the manager and senior company management. Staff told us they received appropriate training in the care of people with challenging behaviours and supported them to live as fulfilled a life as possible. We observed people were supported by staff to meet their needs in a caring and individually focussed manner, which was both timely and effective.

We saw people were being helped to understand decisions about the care and treatment they were given. Each person who used the service had a written plan of care which reflected their individual needs. The plans gave clear information to staff on how to support people yet maintain as much of their independence as possible.

These older reports are from our old approaches to inspection, including those from before CQC was created.

Sandpiper

All Inspections

During an assessment under our new approach

3 June 2018

During a routine inspection

21 March 2016

During a routine inspection

13 September 2013

During a routine inspection

27 July 2012

During a routine inspection

Reports under our old system of regulation