We carried out a review of the data available to us about Guyatt House Care 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 Guyatt House Care, you can give feedback on this service.
About the service
Guyatt House Care is a 'supported living' service providing personal care to people living in their own homes. At the time of the inspection 45 people who were autistic or living with a learning disability or needed support with their mental health were being supported with personal care. 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.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
Right Support
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. Staff focused on people’s strengths and promoted what they could do, so people had a fulfilling and meaningful everyday life. One person told us, “I think it’s awesome living here. I can be independent. I work in an office and feel part of the team.”
People were supported by staff to pursue their interests which enriched people’s lives. One person told us, “Whenever staff see something, they think I would like to try they go the extra mile to try and sort it out for me.” Staff supported people to achieve their aspirations and goals. Staff supported people to take part in activities and pursue their interests in their local area and to interact online with people who had shared interests. Staff enabled people to access specialist health and social care support in the community. Staff supported people to make decisions following best practice in decision-making. Staff communicated with people in ways that met their needs.
Right Care
Staff promoted equality and diversity in their support for people. They understood people’s cultural needs and provided culturally appropriate care. People received exceptionally kind and compassionate care. The service had received many compliments about the staff and dedication to the people they supported. One family member had stated, “I am constantly grateful for the caring attitude shown by all staff.” Staff protected and respected people’s privacy and dignity. They fully understood and responded to their individual needs. 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. The service had enough appropriately skilled staff to meet people’s needs and keep them safe.
People could communicate with staff and understand information given to them because staff supported them consistently and had a good understanding of their individual communication needs. People’s care, treatment and support plans reflected their range of needs and this promoted their wellbeing and enjoyment of life. People received a very high standard of care that supported their needs and aspirations, was focused on their quality of life, and followed best practice. People could take part in activities and pursue interests that were tailored to them. The service gave people opportunities to try new activities that really enhanced and enriched their lives. Staff and people cooperated to assess risks people might face. Where appropriate, staff encouraged and enabled people to take positive risks.
Right culture
People led inclusive and empowered lives because of the ethos, values, attitudes and behaviours of the management and staff. People received very good quality care, support because trained staff and specialists could meet their needs and wishes. People were supported by staff who understood best practice in relation to the wide range of strengths, impairments or sensitivities people with a learning disability and/or autistic people may have. This meant people received compassionate and empowering care that was tailored to their needs.
Staff knew and understood people well and were responsive, supporting their aspirations to live a quality life of their choosing. Staff placed people’s wishes, needs and rights at the heart of everything they did. People and those important to them, including advocates, were involved in planning their care. The local authority told us, “Guyatt House Care always join meetings and respond to advice given and are willing to engage and try new ways of working.” Staff evaluated the quality of support provided to people, involving the person, their families and other professionals as appropriate. People’s quality of life was greatly enhanced by the service’s culture of improvement and inclusivity. People were excited to tell us how staff had helped them achieve their goals and set new ones. Staff ensured risks of a closed culture were minimised so that people received support based on transparency, respect and inclusivity.
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 outstanding (report published December 2019).
Why we inspected
We undertook this inspection to assess that the service is applying the principles of Right support, right care, right culture.
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.
Guyatt House Care is domiciliary care agency that provides personal care to people in supported living settings. At the time of our inspection 18 people were receiving the service of personal care. For some people this meant they had 24-hour live-in support from care staff. People using the service lived in their own homes in Cambridgeshire.
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 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.
There were deliberately no identifying signs, intercom, cameras, industrial bins or anything else outside of the supported living settings to indicate people were on the autism spectrum or had a learning disability. Staff were also discouraged from wearing anything that suggested they were care staff when coming and going with people. This was important to people and enabled them to live a normal life.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
Staff had an exceptional understanding of safeguarding processes and they implemented their knowledge very effectively. People were completely involved in decisions about their safety. Whatever people’s diverse needs, they were listened to and their wishes were respected. Staff supported people with taking risks and information was given to people about risks was very accessible. People took part in recruiting new staff to the service as their opinions mattered. Sufficient staff were in post. They had exceptional skills in making sure people’s safety was paramount. Incidents were thoroughly analysed, and effective lessons were learned to reduce the risk of recurrence. Staff helped people to understand what it meant to be remain safe, this included encouraging people to know when to ask staff for assistance by knowing when to ask for assistance. One relative told us, “I can’t believe how safe my [family member] now is and they live on their own.” People were supported to self-administer and manage their own medicines safely.
Staff’s training was effective and based on the latest guidance to meet people’s needs. One relative told us, “[Staff] are exceptional, they have managed to give my [family member] independence I could not have imagined.” People influenced which staff would provide their care and support. People made their own meals and ate and drank healthily. The registered manager and staff team coordinated people’s care and involved people respectfully with this. 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. One social care professional said, “They are the most engaged and knowledgeable service, in relation to everything Mental Capacity Act and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards learning and development that I have supported for the past four to five years.”
People were at the heart of a very positive culture they lived in and received very kind, caring, respectful and compassionate care. Staff fully involved people in determining their care. One relative said, “[Staff] could not be more caring. It isn’t always easy meeting their personal care needs but [staff] have certain skills and a knack doing this with great dignity.” The service completely applied 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 provider supported people to express their views and made information very easily accessible and understandable. Staff totally upheld people's privacy and promoted their independence by using being flexible about any restrictions on people’s liberty.
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. Staff enabled people to live a normal, full and meaningful life as possible. One person was proud to show us their achievements in off road driving.
The registered manager was completely aware of their responsibilities in notifying us about important events. A positive and supportive staff team culture was in place. Staff received support in various forms including mentoring and shadowing experienced staff. People had full involvement in influencing outcomes associated with quality assurance and audits were effective in driving improvements. People’s quality of life was enhanced by this oversight. The staff team and registered manager worked with other organisations to help ensure people’s care was joined up.
Rating at last inspection.
The last rating for this service was outstanding (published 26 May 2017). Since then the provider has moved their head office to a new address. This is the first inspection of the service provided from this new address.
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection and details of the full report for this inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Guyatt House Care 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.