Carlton Avenue

Updated 9 June 2023

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 Health and Social Care Act 2008.

As part of this inspection we looked at the infection control and prevention measures in place. This was conducted so we can understand the preparedness of the service in preventing or managing an infection outbreak, and to identify good practice we can share with other services.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by 1 inspector.

Service and service type

Carlton Avenue 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. Carlton Avenue 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 a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 3 people who lived in the home. Some people due to their communication needs were unable to speak with us. However, they communicated in a range of ways, which included, gestures, signs, sounds and speaking a few words. We spoke with the registered manager, the regional manager, the interim manager, 1 lead support worker and 2 care staff.

We reviewed a range of records. This included 3 people’s care records and medication records. We looked at 3 staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service were also reviewed, including training records, incident records, complaints, compliments, environmental checks, and quality assurance processes.

Updated 9 June 2023

About the service

Carlton Avenue is a residential care home which is registered to provide accommodation and personal care for a maximum of 9 people. The care home provides support to people with profound and multiple learning disabilities, all of whom have mobility needs. At the time of the inspection there were 7 people living in Carlton Avenue.

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.

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.

The service gave people care and support in a safe, clean, well equipped, well- furnished and well-maintained environment that met their sensory and physical needs. Staff focussed on people’s strengths and promoted what they could do, so people had a fulfilling and meaningful everyday life. People had choice about their living environment and were able to personalise their rooms.

Right Care:

People received kind and compassionate care. Staff protected and respected people’s privacy and dignity. They 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.

People had individual ways of communicating, using body language, sounds, Makaton (a form of sign language) and pictures and could interact comfortably with staff and others involved in their care and support because staff had the necessary skills to understand them.

Right Culture:

People lead inclusive and empowered lives because of the ethos, values, attitudes and behaviours of the management and staff.

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 may have. This meant they received compassionate and empowering care that was tailored to their needs.

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 requires improvement (published 13 July 2022) and there were breaches of regulation. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve. At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.

At our last inspection we recommended that the provider consider current guidance on ensuring there is personalised information about the administration of people’s PRN medicines, so all staff had the knowledge and understanding to consistently and effectively administer these types of medicines. At this inspection we found the provider had acted on the recommendations and they had made improvements.

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.

For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating. The overall rating for the service has changed from requires improvement to good 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.