Hapstead Village

Updated 30 July 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

This inspection was carried out by three inspectors.

Service and service type

Hapstead Village 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. Hapstead Village is a care home without nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

This service also provides care and support to people living in two ‘supported living’ settings, 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.

Registered Manager

This service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. 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.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was announced. We gave a short period of notice of the inspection because of the size and type of service. People at Hapstead Village lead very active lives and we needed to be assured that people would be available to speak about their experience of the service.

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 used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us.

We spent time with and spoke with eight people living at the service. We spoke with seven members of staff including the manager and the registered manager.

To help us assess and understand how people's care needs were being met we reviewed ten people's care records. We also reviewed a number of records relating to the running of the service. These included staff recruitment and training records, medicine records and records associated with the provider's quality assurance systems. We looked at training data, policies and quality assurance records. We spoke with one representative from Devon Local Authority commissioning team.

Updated 30 July 2022

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.

About the service

Hapstead Village is made up of six separate houses and is registered to support up to 48 people with learning disabilities and or autism. People in care homes receive accommodation and personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

This service provides care and support to people living in two 'supported living' settings, so that they can live in their own home as independently as possible. In supported living settings people's care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. CQC does not regulate premises used for supported living; this inspection looked at the quality of personal care provided in the supported living settings.

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

People were not always supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff did not always support them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service did not support this practice.

The service was not always able to demonstrate how they were meeting some of the underpinning principles of Right support, right care, right culture.

Right support:

Although we saw some examples of how the model of care at Hapstead Village maximised people’s choice, control and Independence, we also identified instances where staff shortages had impacted on people. The provider was taking action to address this.

We were assured that the majority of people received individualised care and support in a way that was flexible and responsive to their needs from staff who knew them well, and who were skilled at delivering care and support.

Right care:

From our observations and speaking with staff and the provider it was clear that there was a

positive culture at Hapstead Village and staff worked with the values of person-centred care. Staff supported people in a dignified way. However, we found examples of restrictive practices taking place.

Whilst we found no evidence that people had been placed at a disadvantage, the failure to assess people’s capacity and record best interest decisions risked compromising people's rights. The provider has taken action to address this.

Right culture:

The ethos, values, attitudes and behaviours of the leaders and staff at Hapstead Village ensured people lead confident and inclusive lives. However, we found examples of where the provider had not carried out regulatory requirements. The provider was taking action to address this.

There was a positive culture at the service that valued people as individuals and looked for ways to continually improve people's experience.

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 good (published 17 January 2019)

Why we inspected

We undertook this inspection as part of a random selection of services rated Good and Outstanding.

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.

Enforcement and Recommendations

We are mindful of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our regulatory function. This meant we took account of the exceptional circumstances arising as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic when considering what enforcement action was necessary and proportionate to keep people safe as a result of this inspection. We will continue to monitor the service and will take further action if needed.

We have identified breaches in relation to staffing levels, consent, good governance and a failure to notify The Care Quality Commission (CQC) of important events.

Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.

Follow up

We will request an action plan from the provider to understand what they will do to improve the standards of quality and safety. We will work alongside the provider and local authority to monitor progress. We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.