Archived: Himley House

Updated 10 June 2017

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.

The inspection took place on 17 February 2017 and was unannounced. The inspection was undertaken by one inspector.

During our inspection we used a number of different methods to help us understand people who lived at the home. This was because the people who lived there communicated in different ways and we were not always able to directly ask them their views about their experiences.

Before the inspection, we asked the provider to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. They did not return a PIR and we took this into account when we made the judgements in this report.

We also checked if the provider had sent us any notifications. These contain details of events and incidents the provider is required to notify us about by law, including issues such as unexpected deaths and injuries occurring to people receiving care. The provider had not sent us any notifications.

During our inspection we observed how people, who due to their specific conditions did not communicate verbally, were supported to express their views and interact with staff. We observed how people spent their time and if they appeared engaged and happy. We spoke individually with the manager, the provider and three care staff.

Each person has their own bedroom and bathroom. A kitchen, lounge and dining room are also located on the ground floor. There are gardens at the back of the house for people to use, and parking outside

We looked at a range of records including people’s care plans. This enabled us to judge how well the service met people's care needs and managed any risks to people's health and well-being. We also looked at other records including the provider’s policies and procedures, two staff files, minutes of meetings, complaint and safeguarding records, medication records, staff training, maintenance and audit documentation.

After the inspection visit we also spoke with four health and social care professionals on the telephone and one relative.

Updated 10 June 2017

This inspection was unannounced and took place on the 17 February 2017. This was the first inspection of Himley House which began offering a service to people in September 2016. Himley House is registered to provide accommodation and personal care for up to four adults who have an autistic spectrum disorder and / or a learning disability. At the time of our inspection the service was supporting one person.

People using the service are supported by staff on a twenty-four hour basis. Each person has their own bedroom and bathroom. A kitchen, lounge and dining room are also located on the ground floor. There are gardens at the back of the house for people to use, and parking outside.

At the time of the inspection there was no registered manager. The previous registered manager had left the home in May 2016 and a new manager was in the process of applying to become registered. 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 were not supported by a service that was operating effective systems or processes to assess risks, and to monitor and improve the quality and safety of the services provided.

People’s rights were not being consistently protected in line with the Mental Capacity Act.

People using the service were seen to follow their preferred routines and lifestyle and interactions between staff and people were positive, responsive to need and caring. The care provided was personalised in some areas but did not enable people to live as independently as possible. The providers’ management of complaints procedure had not been followed and had failed to ensure that any complaints received had been responded to appropriately.

People were supported to choose their meals and make their own drinks and snacks, with staff support. Staff had good knowledge of people's likes, dislikes and routines in respect of food, drinks and meal times.

Staff knew how to protect people from abuse and to keep them safe. The registered provider had policies in place to safeguard people from abuse and staff had completed training in this key area.

People were supported to receive their medicines. They were administered safely within the home but not when people were in the community. People had contact with their GP and health professionals as required.

Staff had been appropriately recruited to ensure they were suitable to work with vulnerable adults. We saw there were enough staff on duty to support people as needed in the home.

People using the service took part in a variety of activities in the community.

You can see what actions we told the provider to take as the back of the full version of the report.