Hova Villas

Updated 17 March 2022

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 Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

One Inspector carried out the inspection.

Service and service type

This service provides care and support to people living in a ‘supported living’ setting, 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.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because the service is small and people are often out and we wanted to be sure there would be people at home to speak with us.

What we did before inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since registration with CQC. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. The provider was not asked to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR) prior to this inspection. A PIR is information providers send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with three people who used the service and one relative about their experience of the care provided. One person was unable to talk with us and used body language, touch and sounds to communicate. We spent time observing the support and communication between people and staff in shared areas of the house and within some people’s flats.

We spoke with six members of staff including the registered manager and care workers. We reviewed a range of records. This included three people’s care records and medication records. We reviewed a variety of records relating to the management of the service, including staff rotas, training plans, audits and other documents.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found, including for recruitment of staff.

Updated 17 March 2022

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices and independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ is the guidance CQC follows to make assessments and judgements about services supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people and providers must have regard to it.

About the service

Hova Villas is a supported living service providing personal care and support for people with a learning disability and /or autistic people. At the time of the inspection four people were living at Hova Villas. Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do, we also consider any wider social care provided. The accommodation was one adapted building with five self-contained flats.

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

Right Support

Staff supported people to take part in activities and pursue their interests in their local area. One person told us, “I like to go out every day if I can.” People were leading full and busy lives. A relative said, “They have a good quality of life, always out and about, they love living there.”

Staff supported people to play an active role in maintaining their own health and wellbeing. One person described how staff supported him to attend hospital appointments and said he chose which staff member he preferred to go with him. Another person described how staff supported them to manage their diabetes, saying, “I’m doing well with the diabetes.”

Right Care

Staff understood how to protect people from poor care and abuse. The service worked well with other agencies to do so. Staff had training on how to recognise and report abuse and they knew how to apply it. Staff described working with the police and other agencies to support people. One person told us they would speak to staff if they were worried or felt unsafe.

People received kind and compassionate care. Staff protected and respected people’s privacy and dignity. They understood and responded to their individual needs and preferences. People were supported to be involved with their local community, including attending places of worship and community groups.

One person had multiple needs including sensory needs. They had an individual way of communicating, using body language, sounds, and sign language. Staff knew them well and had the skills to support them with communication. We observed staff to have a caring, gentle approach. People were clearly comfortable and reassured by the staff.

Right Culture

Staff knew and understood people well and were responsive, supporting their aspirations to live a quality life of their choosing. Staff supported people to follow their different interests, including taking positive risks such as travelling to places alone, going out in the evening and staying out late.

People received good quality care, support and treatment because trained staff and specialists could meet their needs and wishes. Care plans and risk assessments were clear, detailed and provided the guidance staff needed. Risks were identified, assessed and monitored. Specialist advice was sought and included within care plans.

People’s quality of life was enhanced by the service’s culture of improvement and inclusivity. Systems for monitoring quality were robust and everyone we spoke with described the positive influence of the registered manager in developing a supportive, open culture where people and staff felt empowered to express their views and opinions.

People told us they were happy living at Hova Villa’s and staff described feeling proud to work there. One staff member said, “The people living here are having a very good quality of life and I have been astounded by how good the care is here.”

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.

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

Why we inspected

We undertook this inspection to assess that the service is applying the principles of Right Support Right Care Right Culture. This was a planned first inspection following registration with the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

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.