Archived: Orchid House

Updated 27 January 2018

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

The inspection took place on 5 January 2018 and was announced. We gave the provider at least 48 hours’ notice of the inspection because the service is a small home for adults with learning disabilities who are often out during the day. We needed to be sure people would be in during our visit.

The inspection was completed by one inspector.

Before the inspection, the provider completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We reviewed this information and other information we held about the service in the form of notifications they had submitted to us. Notifications are information about events providers are required to tell us about by law. We sought feedback from the local authority monitoring and commissioning team.

During the inspection we spoke with two people who lived in the home and three members of staff including the registered manager, nominated individual, and one support worker. We reviewed two care files and two staff files. We reviewed various policies, documents, meeting minutes and other records relevant to the management of the service.

Updated 27 January 2018

This inspection took place on 5 January 2018 and was announced. The provider was given at least 48 hours’ notice as they are a small home for adults with learning disabilities who are often out during the day. We needed to be sure someone would be in. The service was last inspected in July 2015.

Orchid House is a residential care home for up to three adults with learning disabilities. At the time of our inspection two people were living in the home. 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.

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.

At the last inspection in July 2015 we asked the provider to take action to make improvements to staff appraisal arrangements. This action had been completed.

People told us they felt safe living in the home. There were robust systems in place to safeguard people from abuse and risks to people had been appropriately identified and mitigated against. People were supported to take their medicines as prescribed. The home was clean and effective measures were in place to prevent and control infection. There were effective systems in place to ensure lessons were learnt if incidents occurred.

There were sufficient staff deployed to meet people’s needs. Staff received the training and support they needed to perform their roles. The service worked with other organisations and healthcare services to ensure people’s needs were met and they received effective care. People told us they chose their meals and there was clear information for staff to follow about people’s dietary needs and preferences. The service worked within the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and there was clear guidance about how to support people to make meaningful choices.

People told us they liked the staff and we saw compassionate and caring interactions between staff and people who lived in the home. The home ensured people’s religious beliefs, cultural background and sexuality were explored and supported in a sensitive way. People’s independence was promoted by the service.

People’s needs were assessed and care planned in a person-centred way which ensured people received the support they required to meet their needs. Care plans were reviewed regularly and were up to date. The provider had a robust complaints process and sought feedback from people about their experience of the service. People had been supported to plan the care they wanted at the end of their lives. The service had recently supported people through a bereavement in a compassionate and sensitive way.

The provider had quality assurance systems in place that ensured the safety and quality of the service. People and staff were involved with the plans for the future of the home. The provider was linked to local networks to ensure they stayed up to date with best practice and local developments.