The Care Quality Commission
  • Care Home
  • Care home

Archived: Wembdon Rise

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

4 Wembdon Rise, Bridgwater, Somerset, TA6 7QU (01278) 420779

Provided and run by:
Homes Caring for Autism Limited

Important: The provider of this service changed. See new profile

All Inspections

14 February 2018

During a routine inspection

Wembdon Rise provides care home accommodation and support for up to ten people with autism and some also had sensory impairments. Care is provided in individual self-contained flats within the three buildings on the same site. At the time of the inspection there were ten people living in the home with complex care and behavioural needs.

At our last inspection of Wembdon Rise we rated the service Good. This inspection was on the 14 and 15 February 2018 and the evidence continued to support the rating of Good. There was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

People had limited or no verbal communication skills. People needed support in their daily lives from one member of staff each when in the home and some needed two members of staff to support them when they went into the community.

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 included choice, promotion of independence and inclusion.

The service was safe. The service's recruitment process ensured that appropriate checks were carried out before staff commenced employment. There were sufficient staff on duty to meet the needs of people and keep them safe from potential harm or abuse. People's health and wellbeing were assessed and reviewed to minimise risk to health. People's medication was managed well and records of administration were kept up to date. Plans were in place to avoid harm to people because all potential risks to people had been considered.

The service was effective. People were cared for and supported by staff who had received training to support people and meet their needs. The registered manager had a good understanding of their responsibilities in relation to the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards. People were supported to eat and drink enough to ensure they maintained a balanced diet. People accessed health and social care services in the community to help keep them well.

The service was caring. Staff supported people in a friendly and kind manner. Staff had a good understanding of people's preferences of care. Staff always worked on encouraging people to keep their independence so people were encouraged to make choices which were right for them.

The service was responsive. Records showed people and their relatives were involved in the planning and reviewing of their care. Care plans were reviewed on a regular basis and also when there was a change in care needs. People were supported to follow their interests, participate in social activities and spend time in the community. The service responded and dealt with any complaints they received.

The service was well-led. Staff and relatives spoke well of the registered manager and the provider who they saw as supportive and providing a good service. The registered manager and provider monitored the quality of various parts of the service on a regular basis. The management team also sent out annual surveys to collect relatives, staff and care professional’s view of the service.

30 October 2015

During a routine inspection

This inspection took place on 30 October 2015 and was unannounced. This was the first Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection of the service since it was registered with CQC in September 2014.

The service provides care home accommodation and support for up to 10 people with a learning disability or autistic spectrum disorder. Care is provided in individual self-contained flats within three buildings on the same site. At the time of the inspection there were seven people living in the home with very complex care and behavioural support needs. People had severe autistic spectrum disorders and some of them also had sensory impairments. People had very limited or no verbal communication skills. They required one to one staff support within the home and needed two members of staff to support them when they went into the community. One person received two to one staff support at all times.

The service had a registered manager. 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.

The registered manager said the service ethos was “To support people to achieve their full potential for improvement”. To achieve this, the service focused on meeting each person’s individual needs and aspirations.

In a recent satisfaction survey, people’s relatives strongly agreed the service did everything they could to promote people’s wellbeing and safety. Records showed the number of incidents had fallen significantly and people’s medication needs had reduced since moving to the home.

There were sufficient numbers of staff to meet people’s complex care needs and to help to keep them safe. The registered manager said they always tried to roster more staff than was strictly required and always had one person on-call in case of short notice absences.

Staff were knowledgeable about each person’s support needs, behaviours and preferences. They received person specific training and were able to communicate effectively with people in ways people preferred. This meant people with restricted speech could express their views and preferences to staff.

Each self-contained flat was modern and well-proportioned. The registered manager said they tried to make the flats as homely as possible allowing for people’s individual autism needs. The use of individual flats helped safeguard people with very complex needs from harm to themselves and others.

Staff spoke positively about the people they supported and were understanding and considerate of their needs. They took pleasure and pride in the progress people had made since moving to Wembden Rise. People’s relatives commented on how caring and dedicated the staff were.

People were supported to spend time in the local community. People were taken out for a drive and/or for walks on most days. There were communication boards in people’s flats detailing their daily routines and activities in easy to read and symbol format. People were free to refuse or choose different activities if they wished. One member of staff said “We don’t make people do things, we just give them options”.

Staff told us the registered manager promoted an open door culture and was very approachable and supportive to people, relatives and staff. We observed the registered manager was visible around the home and was always approachable to people and staff. He had a good understanding and rapport with each person in the home.

The provider had an effective quality assurance system which ensured the service maintained high standards of care and promoted continuing service improvements.