Archived: Walsingham Support - 6 Greenford Walk

Walsingham Support – 6 Greenford Walk is a residential care home providing personal care for up to six older people with learning disabilities or autistic spectrum disorders. The care home accommodates people in one adapted building. Three people were using the service at the time of our inspection.

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

People were happy living at the service. Staff provided kind and caring support and treated people with dignity and respect.

Risks to people were monitored and addressed. Medicines were managed safely. People were supported by stable staffing teams who had been safely recruited.

Staff were supported with training, supervisions and appraisals. 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.

The service applied the principles and values of Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These ensure that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes that include control, choice and independence.

The outcomes for people using the service reflected the principles and values of Registering the Right Support by promoting choice and control, independence and inclusion. People's support focused on them having as many opportunities as possible for them to gain new skills and become more independent.

People received personalised support, which they were involved in designing and reviewing. Staff supported people to maintain social relationships and enjoy activities.

Clear and effective management systems were in place. Feedback was sought and acted on. Staff worked in effective partnership with other agencies and external professionals.

The Secretary of State has asked the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to conduct a thematic review and to make recommendations about the use of restrictive interventions in settings that provide care for people with or who might have mental health problems, learning disabilities and/or autism. Thematic reviews look in-depth at specific issues concerning quality of care across the health and social care sectors. They expand our understanding of both good and poor practice and of the potential drivers of improvement.

As part of thematic review, we carried out a survey with the locality manager at this inspection. This considered whether the service used any restrictive intervention practices (restraint, seclusion and segregation) when supporting people. The service used positive behaviour support principles to support people in the least restrictive way. No restrictive intervention practices were used.

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 8 March 2017).

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.

Walsingham - 6 Greenford Walk provides care and support for up to six adults with a learning disability. It is a detached house situated on a housing estate in Middlesbrough and is close to local amenities. The home has two communal lounges and a dining room and all bedrooms are single occupancy. At the time of our inspection six people were using the service.

At the last inspection on 23 January 2015 the service was rated Good. At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

People and relatives we spoke with told us they felt the service was safe. Risks to people using the service were assessed and plans put in place to reduce the chances of them occurring. Safeguarding and whistleblowing procedures were in place to protect people from the types of abuse that can occur in care settings. People’s medicines were managed safely. There were enough staff deployed to keep people safe. The registered provider’s recruitment processes minimised the risk of unsuitable staff being employed.

Staff received mandatory training in a number of areas, which assisted them to support people effectively and they were supported with regular supervisions and appraisals. People’s rights under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) were protected. People were supported to maintain a healthy diet and to access external professionals to monitor and promote their health.

People and their relatives spoke positively about the staff at the service, describing them as kind and caring. Staff treated people with dignity and respect. Staff knew the people they were supporting well, and throughout our inspection we saw staff having friendly and meaningful conversations with people. People were supported to be as independent as possible. People were supported to access advocacy services where needed and to discuss end of life care.

People and their relatives told us staff at the service provided personalised care. Care plans were person centred and regularly reviewed to ensure they reflected people’s current needs and preferences. People were supported to access activities they enjoyed. Procedures were in place to investigate and respond to complaints.

People and staff spoke positively about the service and people said they were proud of where they lived. People and staff spoke positively about the registered manager, saying she supported them and included them in the running of the service. The registered manager and registered provider carried out a number of quality assurance checks to monitor and improve standards at the service. The registered manager had informed CQC of significant events in a timely way by submitting the required notifications. This meant we could check that appropriate action had been taken.

We found that people had their needs assessed and that care plans were in place. People we spoke with told us they liked living at the home and that they were like a family. All the people we spoke with were satisfied with the service they received.

People were provided with a choice of suitable and nutritious food and drink.

People who used the service were protected from the risk of abuse and told us they felt comfortable and safe with staff.

Staff had received appropriate training and had regular supervision and appraisals.

The quality of the service was monitored and reviewed on a regular basis.

We found that people were treated with dignity and respect. We saw there was a friendly and relaxed atmosphere between people living and working at the home. We observed staff interacting well with people and supporting them which had a positive impact on their wellbeing.

We found the premises that people, staff and visitors used were safe and suitable and that people were cared for and supported by suitably qualified, skilled and experienced staff.

We found there was an effective complaints system in place at the home.