Background to this inspection
Updated
1 February 2024
Why we inspected
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 Health and Social Care Act 2008.
Inspection team
This inspection was completed by 1 inspector.
Service and service type
The Old School House is a 'care home'. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing and/or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement dependent on their registration with us. The Old School House is a care home without nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.
Registered Manager
This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.
At the time of our inspection there was not a registered manager in post. However, the provider had appointed a manager who had commenced work by the second day of this inspection. It was the manager’s intention to complete their application to become a registered manager.
Notice of inspection
The inspection was announced. 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 the inspection
We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report.
We sought feedback from the local authority. Local authorities together with other agencies may have responsibility for funding people who used the service and monitoring its quality.
During the inspection
We with spoke 2 people living at the Old School House and 2 relatives. We also spoke with 6 staff members including care staff, manager, head of transition and compliance and the nominated individual. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider.
We reviewed risk assessments, care plans and the decision-making processes for 3 people. In addition, we looked at documents relating to quality checks completed by the provider. We confirmed the safe recruitment process for 1 staff member.
Updated
1 February 2024
About the service
The Old School House is a care home providing personal care and accommodation. The service can support up to 7 people. People living in the home had their own bedrooms and there were shared communal spaces, including lounges, a kitchen, and a garden area. At the time of this inspection 3 people were receiving a regulated activity.
We expect health and social care providers to guarantee autistic people and people with a learning disability the choices, dignity, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. Right support, right care, right culture is the statutory guidance which supports CQC to make assessments and judgements about services providing support to people with a learning disability and/or autistic people.
People's experience of using this service and what we found
The service had made improvements required following our last inspection and could demonstrate how they met most of the principles of right support, right care, right culture. However, further improvements were needed regarding the providers quality monitoring systems, activities and some aspects of care planning.
Right care
Improvements were needed to be made regarding the identification and recording of peoples wishes and preferences as they approached the end of life. People were safeguarded from the risk of abuse as staff had refreshed their safeguarding training and knew how to respond to allegations of concern. People’s individual care and support plans reflected their needs, wants and wishes.
Right Support
People needed to be further engaged in developing activities which were functional, enjoyable and built on their existing skills whilst promoting new ones. People were involved in the development and reviews of their care and support plans which reflected their needs and wishes. 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.
Right culture
People received effective care and support which met their individual needs. The provider completed quality checks to identify and improve people’s experiences of care. However, these checks needed to be embedded into practice and demonstrated as effective over time. These included checks to the physical environment where people lived to ensure it was safe.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection and update
The last rating for this service was inadequate (published 21 December 2023) and there were breaches of regulations regarding safety, protection from abuse, consent, person centred care and how the service was managed. Following the last inspection, the provider was issued with a warning notice giving them a specific date by which to be compliant with the law. Improvements were noted at this inspection and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations. However, improvements were still required. Please see the responsive and well-led sections of this report.
Why we inspected
This inspection was carried out to follow up on action we told the provider to take at the last inspection.
At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulation. The overall rating for the service has changed from inadequate to requires improvement based on the findings of this inspection.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.