We carried out a review of the data available to us about Orchard Close Care Home 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 Orchard Close Care Home, you can give feedback on this service.
Orchard Close provides short term respite care for adults who are living with a learning disability. The home has a maximum occupancy of 15 people. At the time of our inspection two people were resident at the home, due to staff training. A consultation process was in progress regarding the future use of Orchard Close.
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 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
People spoke positively about the service and the management and staff.
There was a friendly atmosphere in the home and staff supported people in a kind and caring way that took account of their individual needs and preferences. People and their families were supported to express their views and be involved in making decisions about their care and support.
There were systems and processes in place to protect people from harm, including how medicines were managed. Staff were trained in how to recognise and respond to abuse and understood their responsibility to report any concerns. There were sufficient numbers of experienced staff to meet people’s needs. Safe recruitment practices were followed to make sure only suitable staff were employed to care for people in the home.
Staff were supported to gain relevant knowledge and skills through an on-going programme of training, supervision and appraisal.
The service worked well with other agencies to promote people’s wellbeing. People were supported to maintain their health and to attend health appointments if necessary. They were supported to eat and drink enough to meet their needs and to make informed choices about what they ate.
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.
The service was responsive to people’s needs and staff listened to what they said. Staff were prompt to raise issues about people’s health and people were referred to health professionals when needed. People could be confident that any concerns or complaints they raised would be dealt with.
The provider and registered manager were promoting an open, empowering and inclusive culture within the service. There were a range of systems in place to assess and monitor the quality and safety of the service and to ensure people were receiving appropriate support.
The service applied the principles and values of Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These ensure that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes that include control, choice and independence.
The outcomes for people using the service reflected the principles and values of Registering the Right Support by promoting choice and control, independence and inclusion. People's support focused on them having as many opportunities as possible for them to gain new skills and become more independent.
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 17 January 2017).
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
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.
Orchard Close provides short term respite care for adults who are living with a learning disability. The home has a maximum occupancy of 15 people. On the day of our inspection three people were resident at the home.
The service had a registered manager in place. 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 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.
People told us they felt safe. Staff were aware of how to recognise signs of potential abuse and understood their responsibility to report their concerns.
The home was equipped with hoists and height adjustable beds in the event people needed support with moving and positioning. There was a system in place to ensure the building was maintained, and equipment was serviced by suitably qualified people.
Potential employees had to complete a number of pre-employment checks to ensure they were suitable to work at the home. There were adequate numbers of staff deployed to meet people needs and many of the staff had worked at the home for a number of years.
People’s medicines were managed safely and staff received regular training to ensure they had the appropriate skills and knowledge.
New staff were supported in their role and staff told us they received ongoing training and supervision. However, the service could not clearly evidence all staff training was up to date and supervisions were not always documented.
The registered manager and each of the staff we spoke with understood the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and the right of people to make their own decisions, whenever possible.
The atmosphere in the home was relaxed and friendly but interactions between people and staff remained professional. Staff were knowledgeable about people’s individual preferences and enabled people to retain their independence and make choices about their daily lives. People were treated with dignity and respect.
People who were new to the service were invited to visit the home prior to a period of respite care. Care plans were person centred and detailed people’s care and support needs, as well as their likes and dislikes. Care plans were also reviewed and updated on a regular basis to ensure they were reflective of people’s current requirements.
People were supported to engage in a wide range of activities during their stay to Orchard Close, including, swimming, bike riding and day trips. Staff told us they asked people about the activities they wanted to do and then tried to ensure their requests were met.
Staff enjoyed their job and were proud of the care and support they provided for people. Feedback from people was also positive.
There was a system in place to monitor the quality of people’s care and support. This included senior manager audits, service user feedback and staff meetings.
Whilst it was noted statutory notifications had not been submitted to the Care Quality Commission in line with regulatory requirements, we saw evidence this had been identified by the registered provider and action had already been taken to address the matter.
During our inspection we spoke to two care staff and the deputy manager. We met ten of the people staying at Orchard Close and spoke to eight of them about their experience there. People said things like 'I love it here', 'We go out every day' and 'Staff are nice'.
We spent time observing the care and support given to people. We saw that they looked happy and relaxed. We observed staff interacting with people in a friendly manner and treating them respectfully. People moved freely around the home and asked for help and support when they needed it or just chatted to staff and to each other.
We saw that some care plans were detailed and up to date while others had not been updated. The majority of the people staying at Orchard Close were able to consent to being there and to the care they received there. However, their involvement in the care planning was not always recorded. There were no records about the decision making process held in the home for those that did not have the capacity to consent.
There were processes in place to ensure that medicines were received, stored and administered safely. Only trained and competent staff attended to this.
Staff knew the people well and showed a good understanding of their needs and preferences.
People said they felt safe and knew who to talk to if they had concerns.
During our visit we saw that people were being treated with dignity and spoken to in a respectful way. People were being enabled to do what they wanted for themselves, express their wishes and participate in making decisions relating to their individual lifestyle.
We saw that people's privacy and independence was respected and people had full involvement in their care plans and were encouraged to make informed choices on how they wanted to spend their time and the activities they wished to be involved in.
People using the service were protected from abuse as they were supported by a staff team who had appropriate knowledge and training on safeguarding adults. We saw policies on whistle blowing and safeguarding. People's rights were respected.
We saw that staffing levels met the needs of people; we saw evidence that staff received ongoing training which gave them skills and knowledge to continually meet the needs of the people they were supporting.