Walmersley Road

Updated 13 March 2019

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. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team:

The inspection was undertaken by one adult social care inspector.

Service and service type:

Walmersley Road is a care home that provides care and accommodation to people who have Learning disabilities or who have autistic spectrum conditions.

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:

Inspection site visit activity started on 5 February 2019 and ended on 9 of February 2019. The first day was unannounced.

What we did:

Before the inspection we asked the provider to complete a Provider Information return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and what improvements they plan to make. Due to technical difficulties the service was not able to submit it prior to the inspection. However, we reviewed the PIR during our inspection.

We also looked at information we held about the service and provider, including notifications the provider had sent us. A notification is information about important events which the provider is required to send us by law. We used this information to help us plan the inspection. We also asked the local authority and Healthwatch Bury for their views on the service. They raised no concerns.

During our inspection we spoke with two people who used the service, the registered manager and four support workers. We also spoke via telephone with three relatives of people who used the service.

We carried out observations in public areas of the service. We looked at three people's care records, a range of records relating to how the service was managed including medication records, two staff personnel files, staff training records, duty rotas, policies and procedures and quality assurance audits.

Updated 13 March 2019

About the service:

Walmersley Road 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 premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection. Walmersley Road provides care and accommodation for up to seven young people who have conditions such as Asperger’s Syndrome or Autism. At the time of the inspection there were seven people living at the home.

Rating at last inspection: At our last inspection in July 2016 we rated the service good in all areas and it was given a rating of good overall.

People’s experience of using this service:

At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the overall rating of good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and on-going monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns.

People were safe because there were effective risk assessments in place, and systems to keep them safe from abuse or avoidable harm.

Medicines were managed safely and people were supported to ensure their health needs were met.

Staff received the training and support they needed to carry out their roles effectively. Staff members had been safely recruited and there were sufficient numbers of staff to provide people with the person-centred support they needed.

The service actively promoted well-being and continually strived to protect people from the risks of social isolation and loneliness. The range of activity on offer was extensive. Staff supported people in developing meaningful and appropriate activities and building community links.

Systems in place ensured the needs of each individual were identified and respected. People, and those who were important to them, were at the heart of the service and were encouraged to be involved in decisions and developing their support.

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

People had their care and support needs kept under review.

Quality assurance systems were in place to monitor and continually improve the quality of the service provided. The home was well-led.

More information is in the detailed findings below.

The care service has been developed and designed in line with the values that underpin the Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These values include choice, promotion of independence and inclusion. The outcomes for people using the service reflected the principles and values of registering the right support. This was because peoples support focused on them having choice and control and as many opportunities as possible for them to gain new skills and become more independent.

Why we inspected: This was a planned inspection based on the last inspection rating.

Follow up: We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit in line with our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received we may inspect sooner.