Consensus Support Services Limited - 121 Station Road

Updated 14 June 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 team consisted of one inspector.

Service and service type:

Consensus Support Services Limited - 121 Station Road is a care home. People in care homes receive accommodation and personal care. 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.

Inspection site visit activity started on 23 April and ended on 24 April 2019. We visited the home on 23 April and spoke with relatives by phone on the 24 April 2019.

What we did:

The provider completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). 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 reviewed information we had received about the service. This included details about incidents the provider must notify us about, such as abuse. We used this information to plan our inspection.

During this inspection we spoke with one person who received personal care, and two relatives. We received feedback from one relative via email.

As part of this inspection, we spent time with people who used the service and used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people that could not talk with us.

We spoke with the provider, registered manager, clinical lead, two nurses, one team leader, and one member of the care team. We also spoke with a visiting healthcare professional.

We reviewed three people's care records and other documents relating to the management of the service such as policies, audits, meeting minutes and safeguarding records.

Updated 14 June 2019

About the service:

Consensus Support Services Limited - 121 Station Road is a care home that was providing personal and nursing care to 10 people with a learning disability or autistic spectrum disorder, a physical disability and younger adults.

People’s experience of using the service:

Quality assurance systems and processes did not always identify gaps in people’s care records. A new audit tool was implemented to address this.

The service worked within the principles and values that underpin Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. This ensured that people could 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 over their own lives, choice, and independence.

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 were supported by staff that were kind and caring and enjoyed spending time in their company. Staff promoted people’s independence.

Keyworker meetings enabled people to discuss what was working and not working for them, so people could be supported to address any issues or concerns.

People's privacy and dignity was respected. People's diverse needs were embraced, and staff supported people to express their individuality.

People were supported to access activities of their choosing and to engage in their hobbies and interests.

Relatives told us they knew how to raise a complaint and felt confident these would be addressed to their satisfaction.

People received safe care from staff that understood how to recognise and protect them from abuse. Staff had received training relevant to their role and felt well supported and valued by the management team.

Risk assessments and care plans were reviewed at regular intervals to ensure these were reflective of people’s needs.

People received their medicines as prescribed and equipment for managing people’s health needs was maintained in line with the manufacturer’s guidance.

The service met the characteristics for a rating of ‘good’’ in all of the key questions. Therefore, our overall rating for the service after this inspection was ‘good’.

Rating at last inspection: Requires Improvement (Published 23 May 2018).

Why we inspected: This was a scheduled inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up: Going forward we will continue to monitor this service and plan to inspect in line with our re-inspection schedule for those services rated Good.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk