• Care Home
  • Care home

Archived: Mrs Rowena Gibson

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

The Haven, Hackthorpe, Penrith, Cumbria, CA10 2HT (01931) 712155

Provided and run by:
Mrs Rowena Gibson

All Inspections

9 January 2020

During a routine inspection

About the service

The Haven is a small care home providing accommodation and personal care for up to three people with a learning disability. At the time of our inspection there were two people living at the home.

The service has been developed and designed in line with the principles and values that underpin Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. This ensures that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes. The principles reflect the need for people with learning disabilities and/or autism to live meaningful lives that include control, choice, and independence. People using the service receive planned and co-ordinated person-centred support that is appropriate and inclusive for them.

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

The registered manager had safeguarding procedures to protect people from the risk of abuse or unsafe care. They had received recent training on it and knew what action to take. Risk assessment identified anticipated levels of risk and helped protect the health and welfare of people who used the service. People were being supported to take their own medicines, with prompting, from a monitored dose system. The provider had policies and procedures in place for recruitment. The home was a clean and hygienic place to live.

The registered manager had the experience and skills to meet people's needs and provide good outcomes for their wellbeing and a good quality of life. People were supported to have good nutrition and hydration in line with their personal choice and their healthcare needs. The service worked with other agencies and professionals to support people's health and well-being. The domestic building was decorated and adapted to provide a homely environment and meet people's needs. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and were supported in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

The service was homely, relaxed and a sociable, caring family environment for people where their privacy was respected and they were treated as individuals which helped protect their dignity.Their independence was promoted, their choices and preferences respected and their friendships maintained.

Care plans had been developed with people and, where appropriate, their relatives and these were reviewed. People were supported in their own social activities in the local community and their communication needs were assessed and understood by the registered manager. A complaint procedure was in place and people and their relatives were given the opportunity to give regular feedback on the service.

The registered manager used quality assurance systems that were proportionate to the small size of the service to monitor performance. They sought feedback and involvement from the people in the home and their families. They showed understanding of the importance of openness and working with families, other agencies and healthcare professionals to make sure people had the best care. We have made a recommendation about recording complex or behavioural conditions over time.

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

Rating at last inspection and update

The last rating for this service was requires improvement (published 7 January 2019). There were two breaches of regulation. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do, and by when, to improve. At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up

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.

5 December 2018

During a routine inspection

The Haven, owned and run by Mrs Rowena Gibson, is a small care home providing accommodation and personal care for up to three people with a learning disability. At the time of our inspection there were three people living at the home.

The Haven 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.

At our last inspection we rated the service good. At this inspection we found the service was in breach of regulation 17 (Good Governance) and regulation 18 (Staffing). We rated the service as requires improvement.

The inspection took place on 5 December 2018 and was announced. We do this to ensure there will be someone at the service to help us with the inspection, as we knew there was a chance people would be out.

The service had a registered manager in place at the time of inspection. 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 who used the service felt safe and well cared for. They were relaxed in the environment and interacted well with the registered manager.

The premises were clean and well maintained throughout.

Medicines were managed safely by the registered manager. They documented the risks people faced, with instances of external guidance on how to cope with certain health-related situations people may face. The registered manager demonstrated a sound awareness of these risks.

Emergency planning was in place but needed further improvement.

The registered manager had received safeguarding training previously but this was three years ago. We have made a recommendation about this.

Documentation pertaining to people’s care was inconsistent and not always accessible.

People experienced good health and wellbeing outcomes thanks to the timely involvement of external healthcare professionals. The registered manager ensured people had access to these.

The registered manager had not updated some areas of training, and not undertaken dementia awareness training, which would have better enabled them to provide care for people who used the service.

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.

The documentation of consent however was inadequate and the registered manager needed to ensure documentation reflected people’s current status in terms of consent and capacity.

There was little evidence of partnership working, although the registered manager did ensure people who used the service remained a part of the community.

The premises were well suited to people’s needs, with ample communal and personal space, and well-kept outdoor areas. The registered manager was unaware of Registering the Right Support. They did however demonstrate values that underpin the CQC good practice guidance, Registering the Right Support. 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.

People were complimentary about the care they received and evidently got on well with the registered manager. The registered manager knew people’s needs extremely well and was able to anticipate them. They communicated well with people.

People and their relatives confirmed the registered manager involved them in planning their care, although documentation to reflect this could be improved.

Activities were centred around people attending a range of day centres and people we spoke with enjoyed the activities they took part in.

Residents’ meetings occurred intermittently. Again, these would benefit from being documented more comprehensively.

The culture was strongly focussed around ensuring people felt safe and at home. The registered manager however needed to ensure the service did not remain isolated from developments in good practice. They also needed to ensure they remained suitably trained.

We found the service was in breach of regulation 17 (Good Governance) and regulation 18 (Staffing).

You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of the report.

9 August 2016

During a routine inspection

This unannounced inspection took place on 9 August 2016. We last inspected this service on 21 January 2014. At that inspection we found the service was meeting the regulations that we assessed.

The Haven, owned by Mrs Rowena Gibson, is a small home providing care and support for up to three people with people with a learning disability. The house is a detached property in the village of Hackthorpe that is approximately four miles from Penrith in Cumbria. At the time of the inspection there were two people living there.

All the bedrooms are for single occupancy and there is ample communal space for people to enjoy.There are large gardens to the front and rear of the property and car parking facilities.

The service had 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

We spoke with both people who lived in the home and they told us that they felt safe and “very happy” living there. Both people said they did not want to live anywhere else.

We found that people living at The Haven were well supported to have good and regular contact with their families. This was recognised as a matter of great importance to the people who lived there.

We saw that they were well supported and cared for and were clearly relaxed and comfortable in their home where they lived as valued family members.

Risks to people’s health and safety had been identified and were being managed appropriately. The premises were being well maintained and the registered manager formally risk assessed this.

People were supported to take their medicines independently and safely and maintain their independence. We could see, and they told us, they were given the freedom and support to make up their minds about their daily lives, interests and to say what they wanted. We found that the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) were being applied in practice.

People’s nutritional and dietary needs were met and healthy eating was promoted. People told us that they liked the food provided and chose what they wanted.

The care and support plans contained appropriate information to meet the different health needs of the people who lived there and had been frequently reviewed. People were very involved in planning how they were supported and in deciding their lifestyles and activities.

The culture in the home was open and inclusive. The service was well managed and maintained and up to date records related to the running of the home and all health and safety checks were kept. This helped to maintain a safe environment for the people who lived there.

21 January 2014

During a routine inspection

People told us The Haven was a great place to live.

'I really like it here and Rowena is lovely'.

We spoke to relatives who said,

"I am very happy with the care and support my relative receives. I am in regular contact with the provider who always rings me if there is anything I should know about".

People were supported in a way that maximised their involvement and ensured that they had control over their lives, to the level of their ability.

Health care needs were met through positive working relationships with external health professionals.

The provider was experienced and skilled at managing, what could sometimes be challenging times and employed strategies to minimise risk. This ensured that the people living in the home had the best possible quality of life that was lived to their full potential.

All records pertaining to the running of the home were in place and up to date. They were stored in securely locked facilities.

20 September 2012

During a routine inspection

We found that people using this service were very pleased with the care and support they received and more than happy with their accommodation.

People said,

"I love it here and Rowena is so kind. We are like one big family".

"Rowena is always around to help us and to chat to".

This service was run on family lines which ensured routines were flexible enough to meet all assessed needs and provide a fulfilling lifestyle for those living there. People made their own choices about how they spend their time and the places they liked to go on holiday.

Opportunities were given to work in the community and attend day centres to assist with activities of daily living. Leisure activities such as trips to the theatre and meals.were also enjoyed both as a group and individually.