Easthill Home for Deaf People

Updated 29 December 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 Health and Social Care Act 2008.

Inspection team

The inspection was completed by one inspector. A British Sign Language [BSL] interpreter supported the inspector to ensure people who used the service could express their views.

Service and service type

Easthill Home for Deaf People 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. Easthill Home for Deaf People 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.

Inspection activity started on 24 November 2022 and ended on 30 November 2022. We visited the service on 24 and 30 November 2022.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed registration reports and information we had received about the service since they were registered, including notifications. Notifications are information about specific important events the service is legally required to send to us. We used the information the provider sent us in August 2022 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 information gathered as part of monitoring activity that took place on 12 July 2022 to help plan the inspection and inform our judgements.

We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 9 people who use the service and 4 family members. We sought feedback from the local authority and health professionals who work with the service and received responses from 4 of them. We spoke with 3 care staff members, a cook, a housekeeper, the registered manager, providers nominated individual and the providers chief executive officer. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider.

We reviewed a range of records, including 3 people's care records. We looked at 3 staff files in relation to recruitment and records relating to staff training. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including audits, surveys, policies and procedures were also reviewed.

Updated 29 December 2022

About the service

Easthill home for Deaf People is a residential care home providing accommodation and personal care for up to 15 older people with sensory impairment. At the time of this inspection there were 10 people living at the home.

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

People and their family members all gave us positive feedback about the home and told us that staff were kind and caring. We observed positive communication between staff and people. Activities suited to people's interests and abilities were provided and promoted people's health and well-being. The homes atmosphere was warm and homely.

People told us they felt safe and there were appropriate systems in place to protect people from the risk of abuse. The management team and staff understood the actions they should take to keep people safe.

People were supported to take their medicines safely and as prescribed. They were able to access health and social care professionals if needed, received enough to eat and drink and were happy with the food provided. Infection prevention and control measures were in place and followed government guidance.

Care plans contained relevant information about people's health, social and personal care needs. People and, where appropriate family members, were involved in the development of care plans.

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 understood equality and diversity. People were treated with dignity, and their privacy was respected. Independence was promoted.

Individual and environmental risks were managed appropriately. People had access to any necessary equipment where needed, which helped ensure people were safe from harm. Staff had received fire safety training and knew what to do in the event of a fire.

Appropriate recruitment procedures were in place to help ensure only suitable staff were employed. There were enough staff to support people's needs. Staff had received training and support to enable them to carry out their role safely. Staff received supervision and their competency was assessed to help develop their skills and support them in their role.

The management team carried out regular checks on the quality and safety of the service and understood their regulatory responsibilities. People, their family members and external professionals said the management team were approachable and supportive. Staff were also positive about the management team.

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

This service was registered with us on 6 September 2021 and this is the first inspection.

The last rating for the service under the previous provider was Good, published on 6 August 2018.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the date the service was registered.

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.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.