Background to this inspection
Updated
16 April 2020
The inspection
We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.
Inspection team
The inspection was completed by one inspector.
Service and service type
Care Services (24) is a care home. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.
The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.
Notice of inspection
The inspection was unannounced.
What we did before the inspection
Prior to the inspection we reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. This included details about incidents the provider must notify us about, such as serious injuries. The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report.
We requested feedback from the Local Authority quality monitoring officer. We reviewed the information from Healthwatch. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England. We used all this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We spoke with two people who used the service. Some people were unable to tell us about their experience of care at the home, so we observed their interactions with staff and their daily routines and support. We also spoke with two relatives, and two care professionals. We spoke with two support workers, a deputy manager and the registered manager. We reviewed a range of records including all or part of two people's care records and one medication record. A number of other records were reviewed in relation to the management of the service, including quality checks, training records, meeting minutes and accidents and incidents.
Updated
16 April 2020
About the service
Care Services (UK) is a residential care home providing personal care to 5 people at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to 5 people, accommodated in one adapted building.
The building is over two floors and is made up of separate bedrooms with en suite facilities.
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 some areas of 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
Risks were mostly assessed and managed to reduce the risk of avoidable harm, however the risks relating to fire had not been assessed or managed well. The outcomes for people using the service mostly reflected the principles and values of Registering the Right Support by promoting choice and control, independence and inclusion. However, promoting independence was an area that could be significantly improved. People we spoke with and relatives told us they felt safe. Staff knew how to identify and report concerns relating to people's safety. People received support to take their medicines safely. There were enough staff to meet people's care and support needs.
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. Decisions about people's care and treatment were made in line with law and guidance.
Staff encouraged people to maintain a balanced diet and understood people's special dietary needs. People were involved in choosing their own food. The registered manager and staff team worked with external health professionals to ensure people's health and wellbeing were maintained.
Staff were caring in their approach and had good relationships with people. Staff supported people’s independence where possible but did not focus on further promoting peoples independent living skills. Staff had a good understanding of people's individual communication methods and supported people to make their own decisions.
People were supported by a staff team who understood their complex needs and their preferences.
Relatives and external professionals were involved in the assessment and planning of people's care. Relatives knew how to raise a concern if they were unhappy about the service, they or their family member received.
A registered manager was in post. Positive feedback was received in relation to the management of the service. People, relatives and staff had opportunities to feedback about the running of the service. Quality checks were carried out to monitor the service and identified where improvements could be made. We found that in most areas these checks were effective, but had not identified the concerns relating to fire safety.
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 October 2017).
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
Enforcement
We have identified a breach in relation to premises and equipment at this inspection.
Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.
Follow up
We will request an action plan for the provider to understand what they will do to improve the standards of quality and safety. We will work alongside the provider and local authority to monitor progress. We will return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.