7 February 2020
During a routine inspection
The Grove-6 is a residential care home providing personal care to seven adults living with a learning disability or autism the time of the inspection. People had their own bedrooms and shared communal areas such as the kitchen, bathrooms and the garden.
The service had been developed and designed in line with the principles and values that underpin Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. This ensures that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes. The principles reflect the need for people with learning disabilities and/or autism to live meaningful lives that include control, choice, and independence.
The service was part of a larger cluster of three services which were all located on the same site. The size of the service had some negative impact on people living there due to the service being located far away from local amenities and having limited access to public transport. The service was clearly a care home and there were identifying signs such as a large sign and industrial waste bins.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
Quality audits of the service were not always effective in ensuring that the service was safe, in areas such as fire safety. The management team did not always check the effectiveness of staff training or observe staff performing their jobs, to feedback and improve their practice. Some aspects of the service did not promote positive outcomes for people, as staff members would sometimes be required to support the other services on the site with transport to and from day services.
People and their relatives were happy with the support they received at the service. One relative told us, ‘‘The Grove is one of the best services in the world and is the best place that [person] can be.’’
People received kind and compassionate care from a staff team who knew them well. Staff supported people to be as independent as they could be and respected their privacy and dignity. People received personalised care which met their needs and they were supported to take part in activities, in and out of the service, depending on their interests. People had been supported to put plans in place for the end of their life.
People were kept safe by a staff team who had a good understanding of safeguarding and the risk assessments that were in place to protect people from harm. There were enough staff to support people safely and checks were in place to ensure that staff were suitable to work at the service. Staff received training and support to be effective in their job roles. People were supported safely with their medicines and the home was kept clean and free from infection.
People’s needs were regularly assessed to ensure that people were receiving the correct support. Staff supported people to have a balanced diet and live healthy lives. Health professionals were involved in people’s care to ensure that they received the 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 didn’t always apply the full range of principles and values of Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These ensure that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes that include control, choice and independence. The outcomes for people using the service reflected the principles and values of Registering the Right Support by promoting choice and control, independence and inclusion. People's support focused on them having as many opportunities as possible for them to gain new skills and become more independent. However, the location of the service sometimes limited people’s access to new activities or the community.
The management team promoted a positive culture at the service. People and their relatives were involved and encouraged to feedback about the service. The service linked and worked well with other organisations to ensure good outcomes for people.
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 requires improvement (published 21 February 2019). At this inspection, although improvements had been made, the service still requires improvement. This is the second time this service has been rated as requires improvement.
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
Follow up
We will meet with the provider following this report being published to discuss how they will make changes to ensure they improve their rating to at least good. We will work with the local authority to monitor progress. We will return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.