The Care Quality Commission
  • Care Home
  • Care home

Stibbs House

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

74 Stibbs Hill, St George, Bristol, BS5 8NA (0117) 961 9137

Provided and run by:
Milestones Trust

All Inspections

3 June 2021

During an inspection looking at part of the service

About the service

Stibbs House is a registered as a residential care home providing personal and support for up to 10 people with a learning disability. At the time of the inspection six people were staying at the service. Stibbs House has been purpose-built to provide short break care, with emergency beds available for those in the Bristol and South Gloucestershire area.

Stibbs House can accommodate up to 10 people in one building, across three separate wings, each of which has separate adapted facilities.

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

People were kept safe by a range of systems, training and guidance to support how the staff assisted them with their needs. Medicines were managed safely, and health and safety audits were in place to monitor health and safety.

People were protected as much as possible from the risks around Covid 19. There were regular checks in place for staff, people and visitors.

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.

This service was able to demonstrate how they were meeting some of the underpinning principles of Right support, right care, right culture.

Right support:

We found that the model of care was based on promoting choice, control and independence. One person told us they were about to move to more independent living and they were happy about this.

Right care:

We found care was person-centred and promoted people’s dignity, privacy and human rights. Staff spoke to each person in a very respectful engaging way. Staff also talked at length about the unique needs of the people who had been staying at the service.

Right culture:

We found the values, attitudes and behaviours of leaders and staff helped ensure people were living positive and empowered lives. Staff talked with real commitment about their role in ensuring they promoted and encouraged independence with everyone they supported.

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

Rating at last inspection Requires Improvement (2019)

At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.

Why we inspected

This inspection was carried out to follow up on action we told the provider to take at the last inspection.

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 until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Stibbs House on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

6 March 2019

During an inspection looking at part of the service

About the service: Stibbs House is a respite care home that provides personal and nursing care to up to 10 people at a time. The service offers short breaks for people with learning disabilities, allowing people and their carers to have a break when needed. At the time of the inspection there were five people using the service.

We undertook an unannounced focused inspection on 6 March 2019. This inspection was undertaken due to whistleblowing concerns we had received. This report only covers our findings in relation to those concerns.

People’s experience of using this service:

People were supported for by a consistent staff team who were kind and caring. Staff had good relationships with people and knew them well. People were encouraged and supported to maintain their independence.

The provider and senior staff had completed audits on the home to support quality checks. However, for some areas these checks had not prevented shortfalls in the quality of service provision. This was in respect of safe care and treatment and good governance.

Rating at last inspection: Good (report published March 2017)

Why we inspected: We inspected following concerns raised to us by staff who worked at the service.

Enforcement: We found one breach of The Health and Social Care Act Regulations (2014). Further information is at the end of the report.

Follow up: We will ask the provider to send us a report setting out how they will improve.

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

9 February 2017

During a routine inspection

Stibbs House provides short break accommodation and personal care for up to ten people with learning disabilities. At the time of our inspection there were seven people staying at the service.

At the last inspection, the service was rated Good.

At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

Why the service is rated good:

Staffing levels were safe to meet people’s needs and were adapted to meet the changing amount of people staying at the service. Medicines were stored and administered safely. Risk assessments were in place to support people safely whilst promoting independence.

Staff had effective induction, training and supervision. People’s health needs were met and people had benefited from input from health and social care professionals. People were supported with their nutrition and hydration. Staff were skilled in how assist people in this area of care.

Staff were kind and caring. The staff team were well established and had developed good relationships with people. Staff knew people well.

Care plans were person centred, accessible to people and gave clear guidance to staff of how people preferred to be supported.

Systems were in place to monitor and improve the quality of the service. The service was well run and managed. Staff worked effectively as a team and were supported by a senior staff member and the registered manager.

People’s capacity had been considered and documented in care records However, best interest decisions were not always completed where appropriate. We made a recommendation in regards to working in accordance with the Mental Capacity Act Code of Practice.

09 October 2014

During a routine inspection

Stibbs House provides accommodation for up to 10 people who require personal care. The service provides short breaks for people with learning disabilities. This was an unannounced inspection, which meant that the staff and provider did not know we were visiting.

There was a registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service and has the legal responsibility for meeting the requirements of the law; as does the provider.

Formal staff support systems were in place. There were team meetings where support and staff supervision part of the agenda. We also saw nurses were supporting staff while they were assisting people. However individual supervision meetings had not been taking place as regularly as the provider’s policy said they should for all staff. This meant staff may not always get enough formal guidance to do their job effectively.

Care and support was provided by staff with an attentive approach, they were caring and supportive. People staying at the service and their relatives said they were happy with their care and support.

There was animated communication between people and the staff. Staff engaged people in games, household tasks and conversations.  

People were included and consulted about what mattered to them in their daily life and were encouraged to maintain important relationships.

People were supported by enough suitably qualified, skilled and experienced staff to provide them with effective care. They were also protected by robust recruitment and staff selection procedures.

People were provided with a choice of healthy food and drink during their stay. This ensured their nutritional needs were met.

People’s physical health was monitored and they were supported to stay healthy. Where people had health conditions or symptoms referrals to the relevant health professionals were made.

Staff were suitably trained and knew how to provide effective care. The staff team had been provided with a comprehensive induction when they began employment. Staff knew in detail what their roles and responsibilities were. The staff also understood the values and philosophy of the organisation they worked for.

The registered manager and the provider used a range of methods to assess and monitored the quality of care and service people received. Feedback from people and their families was encouraged. This information was used to improve and develop the quality of the service.   

15 December 2013

During an inspection looking at part of the service

During our inspection of 16 June 2013 we had found that care and support was delivered in a way that was intended to ensure people's safety and welfare. However care planning processes failed to fully show how to meet people's range of current needs.

We had found that some care plans had not been regularly reviewed or updated. This meant care plans did not accurately reflect all of people's current needs.

The provider wrote to us and told us the action they would take and that they would be compliant in the area we had identified by 1 December 2013.

At this inspection we met four people who used the service. We spoke with one person about the home and they told us the staff were 'really nice'. We also observed how staff assisted people who were not able to make their views known.

We found that care and support was delivered in a way that was intended to ensure people's safety and welfare. We also found that care planning processes now showed how to effectively meet people's range of needs.

16 June 2013

During a routine inspection

We spoke with six people who used the service to find out it was like staying at Stibbs House. We asked people what they thought of the staff who assisted them at the home.

Every person we met had positive views about their stay and the quality of care and support they were receiving. One person told us, 'the staff are nice'. Examples of the comments people made included, 'the staff help me get up and take me out when I want to go shopping' Another person said, "all the staff help me and I can talk to them about anything ".

People who used the service were being supported to live an independent life while they stayed at the home. People were assisted to maintain their regular routines and to attend their regular community activities during their stay at Stibbs House.

Peoples care plans were not all up to date and did not fully reflect their range of current needs. This meant people were at risk of receiving unsafe and unsuitable care during their stay at Stibbs House.

People were provided with a varied and nutritious diet. Menus were planned based on peoples' likes and dislikes.

People felt safe staying at Stibbs House. There were systems in place to safeguard people from abuse.

The provider's recruitment procedures ensured safe and suitable staff were employed to assist people.

The quality of service people received and its suitability was being checked and monitored.

22 May 2012

During a routine inspection

We used a number of different methods to help us understand the experiences of people using the service, because the people using the service had complex needs which meant they were not able to tell us their experiences. We observed staff working with people, looked at records and reviewed the results of a recent satisfaction survey which was sent out by the home.

We met ten people who were staying at the home, only one person spoke with us. This person said that they liked coming to Stibbs House and liked the staff. All the people we met looked settled and comfortable in the environment of Stibbs House.

We spoke with four staff who all said that they were well supported in their role and received regular training. All the staff said that they enjoyed working at Stibbs House.

We reviewed a compliance action that was set in regards to record keeping at the home following our last inspection. The records we reviewed demonstrated that record keeping in the home has improved and the homes records were fit for purpose.

27 January and 18 February 2011

During a routine inspection

One person gave us information about the home. They told us that the staff are good, they regularly stay at the home for respite but they were unaware of care plans.

We spoke to a relative about their experiences of the care at the home. We were told that their main concern is that their relative is safe at the home during their respite care and they were happy with the way care is delivered at the home.

This relative also told us that an introductory visit was arranged in advance of any respite stays. Information was provided about the service; a care plan was devised and provided by the social worker to the home's staff. It was further stated that the home corresponds well with other agencies involved with the care of the person. Where people had mobility needs, staff would use the correct equipment and staff were pleasant and knew how to meet the needs of the people accommodated. This relative confirmed that they would feel confident to approach staff with complaints and that it would be resolved to a satisfactory level.

When we observed staff interacting with people we saw that they engaged with people. There were opportunities for 1 to 1 time and staff were observed giving people time to make choices.