Calton House Limited

Updated 30 October 2018

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This announced inspection of Calton House took place on 2 and 3 October 2018. The provider was given short notice because the location provides a domiciliary care service. We needed to be sure that someone would be available. The inspection was carried out by one adult social care inspector and an expert by experience. An expert by experience is a person who has experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of service. The expert by experience telephoned a sample of people and their relatives to check people were happy with their care and support.

We reviewed the Provider Information Record (PIR) and previous inspection reports before the inspection. The PIR is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and the improvements they plan to make. We also reviewed the information we held about the service and notifications of incidents we had received. A notification is information about important events which the service is required to send us by law.

During the inspection we went to the provider’s office and spoke with the registered manager and three other managers. We visited six people in their own homes and met two staff during those visits. We looked at four records relating to the care of individuals, three staff recruitment files, staff duty rosters, staff training records and records relating to the running of the service.

Following the visit to the provider’s office we spoke with a further six people, two relatives, seven staff and two healthcare professionals.

Updated 30 October 2018

We carried out this announced inspection on 2 and 3 October 2018. At the last inspection, in March 2016, the service was rated Good. At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

Calton House Ltd provides personal care to people living in their own homes in the community. Services are provided mainly in west Cornwall to people with a learning disability or a mental health condition. At the time of our inspection the service was providing a supported living service and personal care for 35 people. The number of hours provided for each person ranged from short visits at key times of the day to 24 hour care. These services were funded either privately, through Cornwall Council or NHS funding.

A supported living service is one where people live in their own home and receive care and support to enable people to live as independently as possible. People's care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. CQC does not regulate premises used for supported living; this inspection looked at people's personal care and support.

People we spoke with told us they felt safe using the service and they trusted the staff who supported them. People told us they received a reliable service and had regular staff who visited them. They had agreed the times of their visits and were usually kept informed of any changes. Comments included, “I feel safe because I've known the same staff a long time" and "I've been with the agency for 19 years, I wouldn't be with them that long if I wasn't happy."

Staff were knowledgeable about the people they cared for and knew how to recognise if people’s needs changed. Staff were aware of people’s preferences and interests, as well as their health and support needs, which enabled them to provide a personalised service. People said they were treated respectfully and staff asked how they wanted their care and support to be provided. People who needed help taking their medicines were appropriately supported by staff.

Care plans provided staff with direction and guidance about how to meet people’s individual needs and wishes. These care plans were regularly reviewed and any changes in people’s needs were communicated to staff. People were aware of their care plans and most people had a copy in their homes. Some people had requested that a copy of their care plan was not kept in their home. There were suitable arrangements to inform staff, about how to provide the agreed care for people, where a care plan was not available in the person’s home.

Risk assessments clearly identified any risk and gave staff guidance on how to minimise the risk. This included any environmental risks in people’s homes and any risks in relation to the care and support needs of the person. They were designed to keep people and staff safe while allowing people to develop and maintain their independence.

Staff had received training in how to recognise and report abuse. All were clear about how to report any concerns and were confident that any allegations made would be fully investigated to help ensure people were protected.

Staff were aware of the reporting process for any accidents or incidents that occurred and there was a system in place to record incidents. Records showed that appropriate action had been taken and where necessary changes had been made to reduce the risk of a re-occurrence of the incident.

The service acted within the legal framework of the Mental Capacity Act 2005(MCA). Management and staff understood how to ensure people who did not have the mental capacity to make decisions for themselves had their legal rights protected.

The service had robust recruitment practices, which meant staff were suitable to work with vulnerable people. Training records showed staff had been provided with all the necessary training, which had been refreshed regularly. Staff told us they found the training to be beneficial to their role and said they were encouraged to attend training to develop their skills, and their career.

Staff told us they enjoyed their work and received regular supervision and appraisals. Staff were complimentary about the management team and how they were supported to carry out their work. The management team were also clearly committed to providing a good service for people.

There were effective quality assurance systems in place to help ensure any areas for improvement were identified and action taken to continuously improve the quality of the service provided. People told us they were regularly asked for their views about the quality of the service they received. People had details of how to raise a complaint and told us they would be happy to make a complaint if they needed to.