Leigh Court Centre

Updated 12 August 2023

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. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

As part of this inspection we looked at the infection control and prevention measures in place. This was conducted so we can understand the preparedness of the service in preventing or managing an infection outbreak, and to identify good practice we can share with other services.

Inspection team

This inspection was unannounced and was undertaken by 1 inspector.

Service and service type

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats. It also provides care and support to people living in a number of ‘supported living’ settings, so that they can 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. At the time of the inspection 16 people were being supported with their care and support needs.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was announced. We gave a short notice period so arrangements could be made to visit people at home by an inspector and visit the office.

Inspection activity started on 7 July 2023 and ended on 12 July 2023. We visited the location’s office/service on 10 July 2023.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 10 staff including the registered manager, the nominated individual, managers and the senior manager. We also spoke with 4 people and 10 relatives and reviewed 2 people’s care plans including their supporting information. We also reviewed a range of records such as Medicines Administration Charts (MARs), quality assurance audits and other records relating to the management of the service.

Updated 12 August 2023

About the service

Leigh Court Centre is a domiciliary care service that provides personal care to people in their own homes and a number of supported living services. At the time of the inspection 16 people were receiving the regulated activity of personal care.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee autistic people and people with a learning disability the choices, dignity, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. Right support, right care, right culture is the statutory guidance which supports CQC to make assessments and judgements about services providing support to people with a learning disability and/or autistic people. We considered this guidance as there were people using the service who have a learning disability and or who are autistic.

Right care;

People were supported by staff who had checks undertaken to ensure staff were suitable, although we have made a recommendation in relation to Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks as these were not always in place prior to staff employment. People were happy with the care and support they received from staff and staff knew people well. People were supported in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests.

Right Support;

People’s care plans contained important information relating to their individual needs, routines, likes and dislikes. Staff promoted people’s independence and choice and if required information was provided in an alternative format.

Right Culture;

People received support from staff who felt well supported and who were recognised for their individual contribution. People were encouraged to raise concerns and provide feedback with staff so any problems could be resolved. People were empowered to access the local community such as cafés, the gym and places of interest. Staff supported people to access employment opportunities along with hobbies they enjoyed.

Rating at last inspection and update

The last rating for this service was Published 16 June 2018 and was rated Good. At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted as we had not inspected this service since 2018.

We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.

Recommendations

We made one recommendation in relation to staff having a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check in place prior to starting their employment.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.

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