Rawlings House

Updated 1 June 2019

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:

This unannounced inspection was carried out by one Inspector.

Service and service type:

Rawlings House is a care home with accommodation provided at ground level. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

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

What we did:

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. This included details about incidents the provider must notify us about, such as abuse; and we sought feedback from the local authority. Before the inspection, the provider completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is key information providers are required to send us about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections.

We spoke with one person who was able to verbally express their views. Because not all people using the service were able to verbally express their views to us, we observed interactions between staff and people.

We spoke with two members of staff including the registered manager.

We reviewed a range of records about people's care and how the service was managed. This included review of two people's care records, medicines administration records, policies, staff recruitment and training. We also reviewed the system for recording accidents, incidents and quality assurance audits the management team had completed.

Updated 1 June 2019

About the service: Rawlings House is a care home which provides accommodation and personal care for up to seven people who have a learning disability and/or autistic spectrum disorder. At the time of our inspection there were three people using the service. One of whom was in hospital.

People’s experience of using this service:

People were cared for by staff who were kind and compassionate. The atmosphere within the home was friendly and welcoming and staff were warm and considerate towards the people they cared for. People and their relatives felt involved and supported in decision making. People's privacy was respected and their dignity maintained.

There was a stable staff team which provided consistency of care for people, with enough staff to support people, meet their needs and keep them safe. People were supported by staff who had received training, relevant to their roles and responsibilities.

People received their medicines as prescribed. Systems were in place for the safe management and supply of medicines. Incidents and accidents were investigated, and actions were taken to prevent recurrence.

People's needs were assessed and care was planned and delivered to meet legislation and best practice guidance. 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. When people were unable to make decisions about their care and support, the principles of the Mental Capacity Act (2005) were followed.

Care plans were detailed with clear explanations of control measures for staff to follow to keep people safe. Support was planned and delivered in a structured way to ensure people's safety and wellbeing. We recommended that further work be carried out to provide information as to people’s end of life wishes.

The premises were clean and staff followed infection control and prevention procedures.

Staff roles and responsibilities were clear. Staff worked in partnership with professionals to deliver care and support and maintained links with the local community. Access to health care was supported by staff including annual health checks.

There was a varied range of social activities on offer according to individual needs and choice. People were provided with a varied diet and they were complimentary about the choice of food offered.

The service continued to be well led. The registered manager worked well to lead the staff team in their roles and ensure people continued to receive a good service.

Rating at last inspection: Good (report published on 24 November 2016).

Why we inspected: This was a scheduled inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up: We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received we may inspect sooner.

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