The Moorings

Updated 15 April 2021

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.

As part of CQC’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic we are looking at the preparedness of care homes in relation to infection prevention and control. This was a targeted inspection looking at the infection control and prevention measures the provider has in place.

This inspection took place on 25 March 2021 and was announced.

Updated 15 April 2021

About the service

The Moorings is a residential care home providing personal care to five people at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to six people.

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.

The Secretary of State has asked the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to conduct a thematic review and to make recommendations about the use of restrictive interventions in settings that provide care for people with or who might have mental health problems, learning disabilities and/or autism. Thematic reviews look in-depth at specific issues concerning quality of care across the health and social care sectors. They expand our understanding of both good and poor practice and of the potential drivers of improvement.

As part of thematic review, we carried out a survey with the registered manager at this inspection. This considered whether the service used any restrictive intervention practices (restraint, seclusion and segregation) when supporting people.

The service used some restrictive intervention practices as a last resort, in a person-centred way, in line with positive behaviour support principles.

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

There was a very relaxed and welcoming atmosphere where people were supported by staff who were exceptionally kind and caring. Feedback about the compassionate and caring approach of staff was overwhelmingly positive. People were treated with dignity and respect in a way that truly valued them as individuals.

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.

People were placed at the centre of the service and were genuinely involved in relation to all decisions about their care and the service. The service had a proven track record of providing exceptionally responsive personalised care and support. There were also significant improvements in the outcomes for people that had enhanced their well-being and lives.

There was a person centred culture that was driven by a motivated and committed staff team. They constantly looked for ways to improve the service and ensure people received the outstanding care they deserved. This motivation resulted in a whole team who were totally supportive and committed to providing high quality, individualised care. The staff team told us they were truly valued and respected. They were highly skilled, motivated and knowledgeable.

The service was exceptional at helping people achieve positive outcomes, building confidence,

independence and helping develop people's life skills. There was an excellent range of activities and opportunities available to people. People had also been introduced to new activities which for those people were a significant achievement.

The service had provided exceptional and compassionate end of life care and took into consideration the needs of people who lived at The Moorings, staff and relatives.

The service was well-led. Since the last inspection, the registered and deputy manager had made many positive changes. The leadership and management were of high quality and there was an extremely committed and passionate staff team. The registered manager and staff team had a strong ethos and culture of delivering quality personalised care and support to people. Their systems to monitor, manage and improve service delivery and to improve the care and support provided to people were effective. Staff reported the strong commitment of the registered and deputy manager to the people and the service. They were always available, and they actively listened and promoted an open and learning culture.

The service was safe. Risks to people's health and safety were assessed and mitigated. There was a focus on positive risk taking. Medicines were managed in a safe way. The staffing levels were personalised to each individual and were flexible to support what people wanted to do at different times of the day.

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 (1 December 2016). At this inspection we found the service had improved to Outstanding overall.

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.