Real Life Options - 96 Harrowdene Road

Real Life Options - 96 Harrowdene Road is a residential care home providing personal care to a maximum of six people with learning disabilities who may also have physical disabilities and/or sensory impairments. At the time of the inspection there were four people living in the care home.

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

We saw positive engagement between staff and people using the service. People were treated with respect and dignity.

People's care and support were personalised. Staff knew people well. They understood and supported people's individual needs, interests and preferences.

Systems were in place to protect people from abuse. People’s relatives were confident that allegations of abuse would be dealt with appropriately.

Appropriate staff recruitment systems helped to ensure only suitable staff were employed in the home.

Personalised risk assessments were in place. Staff received the training they needed to keep people safe and were committed to supporting people to be as independent as possible.

Staff and people using the service participated in the regular COVID-19 testing and vaccination programme.

People who used the service received their medicines safely.

There were quality assurance systems in place that monitored the service provided to people. Action had been taken make improvements when needed.

Staff worked with healthcare and social care professionals, to ensure that people received an effective and safe service.

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee autistic people and people with a learning disability the choices, dignity, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. Right support, right care, right culture is the statutory guidance which supports the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to make assessments and judgements about services providing support to people with a learning disability and/or autistic people.

This service was able to demonstrate how they were meeting the underpinning principles of Right support, right care, right culture. The model of care and setting maximises people’s choice, control and independence. People received person-centred care and their dignity, privacy and human rights were promoted. Attitudes and behaviours of the registered manager and care staff enabled and supported people to lead confident, inclusive and empowered lives.

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 28 August 2019)

Why we inspected

The inspection was prompted in part due to concerns received about an allegation of neglect, incidents, and earlier this year issues to do with COVID-19 testing. A decision was made for us to inspect and examine those risks. As a result, we undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of Safe and Well-led only.

We reviewed the information we held about the service. No areas of concern were identified in the other key questions. We therefore did not inspect these. Ratings from previous comprehensive inspections for those key questions were used in calculating the overall rating at this inspection.

The overall rating for the service remains good. This is based on the findings at this inspection.

We found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm from these concerns. Please see the Safe and Well-led sections of this full report. The provider had taken effective action to mitigate risks to people.

We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.

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.

Real Life Options – 96 Harrowdene Road is a care home providing personal care to six people with learning disabilities who may have physical needs.

The service was provided in a large house like other properties in the area. People living with physical needs had bedrooms on the ground floor. At the time of the inspection there were four people using the service.

The care home had been registered before Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance had been developed. Registering the Right Support guidance focuses on values that include choice, inclusion and the promotion of people’s independence so that people living with learning disabilities and/or autism can live a life as ordinary as any other citizen. People using the service received planned and co-ordinated person-centred care. They were provided with the support they needed to make decisions about their lives, develop their independence and to participate fully within the local community.

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

People's care and support plans were up to date and personalised. They included details about people’s individual needs and preferences and guidance for staff to follow to ensure people received personalised care.

Staff knew people well and had a caring approach to their work. They engaged with people in a sensitive and friendly way. People’s relatives spoke highly about the care and support people received from staff.

Staff respected people's privacy and dignity and understood and valued people’s differences.

People were protected from the risks of harm, abuse and discrimination. Staff knew what their responsibilities were in relation to keeping people safe.

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 services supported this practice.

Systems were in place to ensure that people received their prescribed medicines safely. Medicines training was provided to staff and their competence to administer medicines was assessed.

Staff had the skills and knowledge to provide people with the care and support that they needed. They received a range of training and the support they required to enable them to carry out their roles and responsibilities effectively.

People received the support they needed to stay healthy and to access healthcare services.

Staff encouraged and supported people to actively participate in activities, pursue their interests and to maintain relationships with people who mattered to them.

The provider had systems in place to manage and resolve complaints.

Systems were in place to assess and monitor the quality and delivery of care to people. Improvements to the service were made when needed.

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 26 May 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.

At our last comprehensive inspection on 11 December 2014 the service was in breach of one regulation which related to the management and administration of medicines. On 26 October we carried out a focused inspection to check the provider had followed their improvement plan and found they had met the legal requirements regarding the management and administration of medicines.

Real Life Options- 96 Harrowdene Road is registered to provide accommodation and personal care for six people. The home provides care and support for people with learning disabilities who may have additional physical needs. On the day of our visit there were five people living in the home. Public transport and a range of shops are within walking distance of the home.

The service has a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission [CQC] 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 were cared for by staff who knew their needs well including people's individual ways of communicating. We saw staff engage with people in friendly and respectful manner. People had the opportunity to participate in a range of activities.

Staff respected people's privacy and dignity and understood the importance of confidentiality. People were provided with the support they needed to maintain links with their family and friends.

There were procedures for safeguarding people. Staff understood how to respond to complaints and possible abuse. They knew how to raise any concerns about people’s safety so people were protected.

People's individual needs and risks were identified and managed as part of their care plan so the likelihood of harm was minimised. Accidents and incidents were addressed appropriately.

Staff were appropriately recruited and supported so people were provided with the individualised care and support that they needed. Staff received a range of training to enable them to be skilled and competent to carry out their roles and responsibilities. Arrangements were in place to make sure sufficient numbers of skilled staff were deployed at all times to meet the needs of people using the service.

People were supported to maintain good health. They had access to appropriate healthcare services that monitored their health and provided people with appropriate support, treatment and specialist advice when needed. People’s dietary needs and preferences were supported, and they were encouraged to choose what they wanted to eat and drink.

People were encouraged and supported to make decisions for themselves whenever possible. Staff understood the importance of ensuring people agreed to the care and support they received. Staff knew when to involve others to help people make important decisions. Staff were aware of their responsibilities in regard to the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS).

There were systems in place to regularly assess, monitor and improve the quality of the services provided for people.

Each person who used the service had a plan of care that had been regularly reviewed and included information about the individual support and care that the person needed. People were supported to be involved in decisions about their lives and best interest decisions were made when people were unable to consent about matters to do with their care and treatment.

Numbers and skill mix of staff were flexible to ensure people's needs were met. Staff knew about their roles and responsibilities in meeting the needs of the people whom they supported. People who used the service approached staff without hesitation and interacted with people in a sensitive and positive manner. People accessed their bedrooms and the communal areas of the home freely.

People's health, safety and welfare were protected as they received the advice and treatment that they needed from a range of healthcare and social care professionals.

Records were up to date and kept securely.

We found that people's care was reviewed regularly and their needs were met. We saw evidence that referrals were made to involve relevant professionals to ensure people's well-being when it was needed. Activities were provided according to the various interests of the people who used the service.

Staff told us that they received appropriate training and support in order to provide an adequate level of service.

We saw records that the manager regularly monitored the quality of the service and made appropriate changes to the service to ensure people's welfare and safety when it was required.