We carried out a review of the data available to us about Walsingham Support - 2 Ashley Close on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about Walsingham Support - 2 Ashley Close, you can give feedback on this service.
Walsingham Support is a residential care home providing personal and nursing care to six people with a learning disability at the time of the inspection.
Walsingham support accommodates six people in an adapted building. Each person has an individual bedroom and communal space which consists of kitchen, lounge, dining room, bathrooms, conservatory, and laundry room. There is an onsite office where the registered manager is based.
The service has been developed and designed in line with most 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.
There were deliberately no identifying signs, intercom, cameras, industrial bins, or anything else outside to indicate it was a care home, however the building is situated on a hospital site. Staff were also discouraged from wearing anything that suggested they were care staff when coming and going with people.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People were safe in the home. There were care plans and risk assessments in place to make sure people’s health and wellbeing were met effectively.
There were enough staff to meet the needs of people being supported. People were supported to manage their medicines and health professionals were actively involved and had positive experiences with the home.
People were supported to do things they enjoyed. There were times where staff encouraged people’s independence, however this could be expanded on.
People had a choice about decisions made in the home they lived in and staff encouraged this. Staff were kind and were dedicated to making a difference to people’s lives.
There was clear quality assurance monitoring in place from the registered manager, provider, and local authority. Staff felt supported by the manager and were able to approach the, with any concerns.
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.
We recommended that this was developed with the details of peoples wishes and wants of they were to fall ill which then resulted in palliative care.
The service applied most the principles and values of Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These ensure that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes that include control, choice, and independence.
The outcomes for people using the service reflected the principles and values of Registering the Right Support by promoting choice and control, independence, and inclusion. People's support focused on them having as many opportunities as possible for them to gain new skills and become more independent.
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 (published 14 October 2016)
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Walsingham Support on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.
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.
The service provides accommodation and personal care for up to six people with a learning disability. On the day of our inspection, there were six people using the service.
The home had a registered manager in post. 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.
There were systems in place to keep people safe from harm. Staff had undertaken risk assessments which were regularly reviewed to minimise potential harm to people using the service.
There were appropriate numbers of staff employed to meet people’s needs and provide a safe and effective service. Staff we spoke with were aware of people’s needs, and provided people with person centred care. Staff were well supported to deliver a good service and felt supported by each other and their management team.
The provider had a robust recruitment process in place which ensured that staff were qualified and suitable to work in the home. This also included agency workers. Staff had undertaken appropriate training and had received regular supervision and an annual appraisal, which enabled them to meet people’s needs. Medicines were administered safely by staff who had received training.
Staff cared for people in a friendly and caring manner and knew how to communicate effectively with people. Staff supported people well and spent time with them. We observed staff engaging in meaningful activities with people.
People were supported to make decisions for themselves and encouraged to be as independent as possible. Where people were not able to make decisions for themselves, best interest decisions were made on their behalf which involved advocates and other professionals. People’s choices were respected and we saw evidence that people, relatives and/or other professionals were involved in planning the support people required. People were supported to eat and drink well and to access healthcare services when required.
The provider had a system in place to ensure that complaints were recorded and responded to in a timely manner as well as an effective system to monitor the quality of the service they provided.
Discussions with staff and a review of records showed that the consent of the person was sought. If the person did not have verbal communications this was done through ensuring the staff understood the person's body language. The care plans were detailed and contained people's likes and dislikes, what made them happy, what made them unhappy and how they liked to spend the day.
We saw that the people were treated with respect and great care was taken to ensure the person had optimum independence.
The premises were in good condition and the people had been assisted to decorated their rooms in a manner that reflected their personality, hobbies and taste. The home had systems in place to monitor the quality of the service and to ensure the people who lived in the home had the best possible care.