SignHealth Claridge Road

Updated 18 October 2019

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 Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by one inspector. A sign language interpreter was used to aid communication between deaf sign language users and the hearing inspector.

Service and service type

SignHealth- Claridge Road is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. 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.

Notice of inspection

We gave short notice of the inspection because we wanted to be sure there would be people at home to speak with us.

What we did before inspection

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

During the inspection

We spoke with four people who used the service about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with seven members of staff including support workers, support co-ordinator, administrator, team leader and registered manager.

We reviewed a range of records. This included three people’s care and medication records. We looked at one staff file in relation to recruitment and a variety of records relating to the management of the service.

After the inspection

We looked at training data, quality assurance records and management reports. The management team sent us details of actions and additional measures they introduced in response to evidence found.

Updated 18 October 2019

SignHealth- Claridge Road is a residential care home that was providing personal care to six Deaf people who had mental health needs. Each person had a flat and could also access communal living areas. Staff slept on site overnight and were provided with accommodation.

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

Systems were in place to safeguard people from abuse. There were enough staff to meet people’s needs and appropriate recruitment practices were followed. Risks to people were assessed and managed. Where people received support with medicines as part of their care and support this was done safely. Some further information was required when people needed medicines that were not taken at regular intervals; the management team had started to address this. Systems were in place to reduce the risk of the spread of infection.

Staff had the skills and knowledge to deliver care effectively and they received good support from colleagues and the management team. 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. Healthy eating was promoted and people received good support to plan and cook their meals. Systems were in place to make sure people’s health needs were met. People were very happy with their accommodation which enabled them to do things independently.

People had a positive experience living at the service and enjoyed talking to staff. Staff knew people well and cared for them in a person-centred way. Staff were respectful and explained to people what was happening. People were supported to communicate at home and at other times, such as attending appointments. They had access to an interpreter and an advocate when appropriate. Everyone was encouraged to take responsibility for their accommodation and engage in daily household tasks.

People were involved in planning their care with staff who supported them. They had detailed and personalised support plans that identified how their needs should be met. Some information was duplicated which meant there was a lot of information for people to read. The management team said they planned to simplify the support planning process. People talked enthusiastically about engaging in person-centred activities which included accessing the local and wider community. Systems were in place to deal with formal complaints.

Feedback about the provider and management team who were based at the service was consistently good. Quality management systems were in place and plans were in place to improve and further develop the service. The management team was responsive and where appropriate took swift action to address shortfalls. People were encouraged to share their views and ideas. The service worked effectively with other professionals and agencies.

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 25 November 2016).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

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.