We carried out a review of the data available to us about Segensworth Road on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about Segensworth Road, you can give feedback on this service.
Segensworth Road provides care and accommodation to people aged under the age of 65 living with learning disabilities and physical disabilities. The service can support up to three people and there were three people living at Segensworth Road during the inspection.
Segensworth Road has been developed and designed in line with the principles and values that underpin Registering the Right Support and other best practice. 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.
Segensworth Road is an adapted building with shared facilities that fits in with local residences. The service had no identifying signs to indicate it was a care home, in line with current best practice. People had easy access to local amenities and could live life as any other citizen. Staff wore clothes that did not suggest they were care staff when working with people.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
The registered manager promoted a positive, inclusive culture where people achieved very positive outcomes. Staff worked as a team, felt valued and thoroughly enjoyed working in the service.
The provision of meaningful activities for people in the service was very good. Staff had the freedom to explore different ideas for activities that any citizen could access and people would enjoy. This demonstrated their commitment to promoting equality for people with diverse needs. Staff were skilled at communicating with people which enabled them to give people as much choice and control over their lives as possible.
People were supported to be as independent as possible and relatives told us their family members had gained levels of independence they did not think they would be able to. Staff provided caring and compassionate support. People were treated with dignity and respect.
Relatives told us the service was safe. Staff understood signs of possible abuse and how to raise
concerns. Risks to people were assessed and known by staff. People were supported by staff who had undergone appropriate recruitment checks. Medicines were administered appropriately. Incidents and accidents were thoroughly investigated.
Staff were skilled and received appropriate training. Staff monitored the health and wellbeing of people and involved the appropriate healthcare professionals. Staff experienced effective support from senior staff and the registered manager and this included an induction and ongoing supervision. People's hydration and nutritional needs were met.
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.
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 16 January 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.
We last inspected the service on 3 July 2013 and found they were meeting all the regulations we inspected.
Segensworth Road provides care, support and accommodation for up to three people who have learning disabilities. At the time of the inspection there were two people living at the home.
The registered manager no longer worked at the service and was in the process of deregistering. A new manager was in post. He was in the process of applying to be registered with CQC. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the 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. We were supported by the regional manager, manager and senior support worker throughout the inspection.
The person with whom we spoke told us they felt safe at the service. There was no ongoing safeguarding concerns. Medicines were administered safely.
Checks were carried out to ensure that applicants were suitable to work with vulnerable people. This included obtaining written references and a Disclosure and Barring Service check [DBS]. There were sufficient staff deployed and we saw that staff carried out their duties in a calm unhurried manner.
Staff told us, and records confirmed that training was available. There was an appraisal and supervision system in place. Staff followed the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. People’s nutritional needs were met and they had access to a range of healthcare services.
Staff were motivated and demonstrated a clear commitment to providing dignified and compassionate care and support.
The arrangements for social activities were inclusive and met people’s individual needs. The service had their own ‘house car’ which was available to use at any time.
People were actively encouraged to give their views and raise concerns or complaints. There was a complaints procedure in place and pictures had been added to make the words easier to understand. No complaints or concerns had been received.
Audits and checks were carried out to monitor all aspects of the service. An action plan was developed to highlight any areas which required improving. The provider used a traffic light scoring system to rate their services. Segensworth Road’s overall grading was green which meant they were meeting the provider’s assessed standards.
Staff were very positive about working for the provider. They said they felt valued and enjoyed working at the home. We observed that this positivity was reflected in the care and support which staff provided.
During our inspection we spoke to two staff and the regional manager who was based in the service because the manager was not available. We met both the people living in the home; due to their disability and communication needs we were not able to ascertain their views verbally. However, we saw that they looked happy and well cared for. We observed staff interacting with them in a friendly, relaxed manner and also treating them with respect.
We saw that there had been extensive improvements in the home with regard to care planning and staffing levels. Staff told us that things were much better as a result of the improvements and people were busier, going out more and happier as a result.
We found that there were some improvements in the home for example, the environment had improved and mental capacity assessments had been carried out for people. Some areas remained non-compliant and in the case of outcome 13, Staffing, the Warning Notice had not been met in full so further action will be taken by us.
People were not involved in making decisions regarding their care. Staff did not always treat people with consideration or respect.
From records held we were not able to establish whether people's mental capacity had been assessed to ensure they were able to make decisions and included in the making of decisions regarding their care and treatment.
Assessments and support plans had not always been carried out and did not include all the information staff would need to support the person effectively.
The home was clean and had a homely environment in all communal rooms. One person's bedroom had not been personalised. The seating arrangements in the lounge were not suitable for one of the people currently using the service.
The home did not have adequate staffing numbers on duty and not all staff were adequately skilled and experienced to support the people in the home
Staff had not received all the training they needed to be able to support people. All staff had not received regular support in the form of supervision sessions.