Homewards Limited - 20 Leonard Road

Homewards Limited – 20 Leonard Road provides accommodation with personal care for up to three people with learning disabilities or autism spectrum disorder. At the time of this inspection there were two people using the service.

People’s experience of using this service

A relative told us their relative was safe and they were satisfied with the cleanliness in the service.

Staff confirmed they were provided with adequate amounts of personal protective equipment such as masks and gloves.

Staff understood what action to take if they suspected somebody was being harmed or abused.

Staff knew how to report accidents and incidents.

People had risk assessments to keep them safe from the risks they may face.

A relative and staff spoke positively about the management of the service.

The provider carried out quality checks such as infection control.

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 31/10/2017) .

Why we inspected

This was a targeted inspection based on concerns raised with the local authority in relation to staffing, risk management, safeguarding and incident and accident reporting, .

CQC have introduced targeted inspections to follow up on Warning Notices or to check specific concerns. They do not look at an entire key question, only the part of the key question we are specifically concerned about. Targeted inspections do not change the rating from the previous inspection. This is because they do not assess all areas of a key question.

We found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm from these concerns.

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 coronavirus and other infection outbreaks effectively.

Please see the safe, and well led sections of this full report.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the 'all reports' link for Homewards Limited - 20 Leonard Road on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

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 inspection the service was rated Good.

At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

People received personalised care from staff who understood their needs. We observed positive interaction between staff and the person using the service and staff respected the person’s choices and preferences. Staff understood the importance of maintaining the person’s privacy and treating them with dignity and respect.

Safe recruitment procedures were being followed to ensure people were supported by staff who were suitably vetted before starting work. Staff received regular support and supervision and relevant training to carry out their jobs effectively.

People were safe from the risk of abuse because staff knew the signs to look for and what action to take should they suspect any abuse, including reporting any concerns to the relevant authorities.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control over their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

There were sufficient numbers of staff on duty to meet people’s needs. Staff felt supported in their role and received training relevant to their job.

The service operated within the legal framework of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS).

People’s nutritional needs were met and staff knew their likes and dislikes and preferences for care. People’s care plans were person-centred and included information on their life stories and individual needs and preferences.

People’s cultural, religious and spiritual needs were acknowledged and supported when required. The provider updated staff on people’s changing needs and recorded them in their care plans. Staff were responsive to those needs.

The provider maintained effective systems and processes, and carried out regular monitoring checks and audits to identify gaps and areas of improvement to ensure the quality and safety of the service delivery.

Risk assessments identified risks and how these should be mitigated. Medicines were managed safely. We made a recommendation regarding the management of controlled drugs.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

There were clear care plans and risk assessments that took account of specialist advice and guidance from health professionals. People were treated with dignity and respect and were cared for safely. Relatives said that they could visit any time and that they had no concerns about the welfare of the people who used the service.

People who used the service were supported by trained staff who felt supported by the provider.

The provider had an effective system in place to monitor that the care provided met standards set by the local authority.

We reviewed care plans and found them to be individual, up to date and reflecting the individual's current health status. There were adequate personal and medical records of people's care kept. We found that people were cared for in a clean and safe environment. There were adequate systems in place to maintain the property and staff were aware of the procedure to follow in an emergency.

We found that there were enough skilled and experienced staff to look after people who used the service. Staff told us that they were supported and received appropriate training. Staff said they were happy with the current staffing levels. There was enough equipment to meet people's needs and staff had been taught how to use the equipment. Staff were aware of how to clean equipment and where to report if equipment became faulty.