We carried out a review of the data available to us about Strathmore House 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 Strathmore House, you can give feedback on this service.
Strathmore House is a residential care home providing accommodation and personal care for up to 14 people who have a learning disability. The accommodation is provided in one large adapted building and is spread over two floors. Each person has their own single occupancy room and has shared use of bathrooms and all communal rooms.
The service is a large home, bigger than most domestic style properties. It was registered for the support of up to 14 people when it opened. Twelve people were using the service at the time of the inspection which is larger than current best practice guidance. However, the size of the service having a negative impact on people was mitigated by the building design fitting into the residential area and the other large domestic homes of a similar size. There were deliberately no identifying signs, intercom, cameras, industrial bins or anything else outside to indicate it was a care home. Staff were also discouraged from wearing anything that suggested they were care staff when coming and going with people.
The service operates 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 support focused on them having as many opportunities as possible to gain new skills and participate in a varied range of local activities.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People continued to receive support and care that made them feel safe and staff understood how to protect people from abuse and the risk of harm. Risks to people were assessed and guidance about how to manage these was available, all staff were clear about action they would take. Processes in place to recruit staff ensured that adequate numbers of suitable staff were available to support people. People safely received medicines as they were required.
There were enough skilled staff on duty to meet people’s needs and provide them with support to engage in activities of interest to them and activities of daily living. People were supported to maintain good health and spoke about the contact they had with doctors and other healthcare professionals as needed to keep them well.
People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported support 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. Healthy eating was encouraged in the home and people received a varied and balanced diet.
Relationships and interactions between staff and people living in the home were positive and relaxed. People were clearly at ease in the company of staff and with each other.
People continued to be cared for by staff who displayed kindness and compassion in ways that upheld their privacy and dignity. Staff ensured that people were supported to make choices and maintain a good level of independence in line with their abilities and wishes. People’s diverse needs were recognised with support and, access to activities were supported and enabled by staff.
The provider had effective systems in place that were used to regularly review people’s care and support that had been provided. Care plans and detailed assessments were individual and contained a wealth of information about people, their needs, their wishes and cultural needs. The registered manager and staff ensured that people’s individual care and support needs were met. Reviews were regularly undertaken so that positive outcomes could be provided for people.
Staff and relatives of people expressed confidence in the registered manager and staff. They said they were well informed and updated by the home about all aspects of the care provided. Relationships between the registered manager and staff were positive and all said that communication in the home was good with information about people shared in a timely manner. Regular audits and checks were conducted by the provider to maintain and check on the quality of the service provided.
The care home continued to be well-led, with checks and monitoring arrangements used to maintain the quality of the service provided. People using the service had a good relationship with the registered manager and expressed confidence in being able to approach the registered manager at any time. Required information was available in the home and made available when requested. Information for people using the service was available and presented in formats that people found useful.
Rating at last inspection
The last rating for this service was good (report was published in July 2017).
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
The service had a registered manager. 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.
Staff understood how to keep people safe and staff supported people to understand potential risks to their health, safety and wellbeing. People’s medicines were managed safely.
People were protected from the risk of abuse because staff knew how to recognise and report potential abuse. Safe staffing levels were maintained to promote people’s safety and to ensure people participated in activities of their choosing.
People’s health and wellbeing needs were monitored and people were supported to access health and social care professionals as required. People could eat meals that met their individual preferences.
Staff supported people to make decisions about their care and when people were unable to make these decisions for themselves, the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) were followed.
Staff received regular training that provided them with the knowledge and skills to meet people’s needs.
People had positive relationships with the staff and staff promoted people’s independence and right to privacy.
People were involved in the assessment and review of their care and people were supported and enabled to make choices about their care and the choices people made were respected by the staff.
Staff supported people to access the community and participate in activities and roles that met their individual preferences.
Staff sought and listened to people’s views about the care and action was taken to make improvements to care. People understood how to complain about their care and a suitable complaints procedure was in place.
People and staff told us that the registered manager was supportive and approachable. The registered manager and provider regularly assessed and monitored the quality of care to ensure standards were met and maintained.
The registered manager understood the requirements of their registration with us and they notified us of reportable incidents as required.
We inspected this service on 6 March 2015. This was an unannounced inspection. At our previous inspection in April 2013 we found no concerns in the areas we looked at.
The service was registered to provide accommodation and personal care for up to 14 people. People who use the service have a learning disability.
At the time of our inspection 14 people were using the service.
The service had a registered manager. 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.
Staff understood how to keep people safe and they helped people to understand risks. People’s safety was maintained in a manner that promoted their independence. Medicines were managed safely by the staff and people were enabled to administer their own medicines when this was appropriate.
Staff received regular training that provided them with the knowledge and skills to meet people’s needs. There were sufficient numbers of suitable staff to meet people’s needs and keep people safe.
People could access suitable amounts of food and drink and healthy eating was promoted. People’s health and wellbeing needs were monitored and people were supported to attend both urgent and routine health appointments as required.
People were treated with kindness, compassion and respect and staff promoted people’s independence and right to privacy. Staff supported people to make decisions about their care by helping people to understand the information they needed to make informed decisions.
Staff sought people’s consent before they provided care and support. However, some people who used the service were unable to make certain decisions about their care. In these circumstances the legal requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) were being followed. The Mental Capacity Act 2005 and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) set out these requirements that ensure where appropriate, decisions are made in people’s best interests when they are unable to do this for themselves.
People were involved in the assessment and review of their care and staff supported and encouraged people to access the community and maintain relationships with their families and friends.
Staff sought and listened to people’s views about the care and action was taken to make improvements to care as a result of people’s views and experiences. People understood how to complain about their care and we saw that complaints were managed in accordance with the provider’s complaints procedure.
There was a positive atmosphere within the home and the registered manager and provider regularly assessed and monitored the quality of care to ensure standards were met and maintained.
The registered manager understood the requirements of their registration with us and they and the provider kept up to date with changes in health and social care regulation.
We saw that people were offered choices about their care and treatment and people were appropriately supported to make decisions. People were involved in the planning of their care, and they received the support they required to enable them to participate in activities both at the home and in the community.
People were supported to ensure they ate a healthy and nutritious diet, and we saw that special diets were catered for.
The home was being renovated and modernised and was suitably designed to meet people's individual needs and keep them safe.
People were aware of aware of how to complain, and were given opportunities to share any concerns. We saw that where concerns and complaints had been raised, they were dealt with appropriately, to improve the service that people received.
We were accompanied by an expert by experience and their mentor for part of our visit. This is someone who has either used or uses social care services or has experience of caring for someone who has. They are people of all ages, with different experiences and from diverse cultural backgrounds. Our expert by experience talked to people using the service individually, looked at what happened around the home and saw how everyone was getting on together and what the home felt like. They took some notes and wrote a report about what they found the details are included in this report.
We saw that people were encouraged to be as independent as possible. People made their own drinks and told us that they helped staff with cooking or chose to cook their own meal. People told us they cleaned their own bedroom when needed, and told us they helped to keep their home clean and tidy.
People said they did a range of activities according to their individual preferences both in the home and in the community, and went out as much as they wanted to. People also had work experience opportunities and voluntary jobs.
People told us that they were involved in developing and reviewing their care records, which they called their 'support plan'.
People using the service confirmed they could speak with the staff if they had a concern or a complaint and were confident that staff would address their concerns. This meant people felt able to voice their concerns and were listened to.