Background to this inspection
Updated
21 August 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. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.
Inspection team:
The inspection was carried out by one inspector.
Service and service type:
Aeolian House 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:
The inspection was unannounced.
What we did:
We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection in August 2016. This included details about incidents the provider must notify us about. We assessed the information we require providers to send us at least once annually to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.
During the inspection, we spoke with three people to ask about their experiences of the service.
We spoke with the registered manager and two members of staff. We reviewed care records for three people using the service. We checked training and supervision arrangements for the staff team. We looked around the premises and at records for the management of the service including quality assurance systems, audits and health and safety records. We reviewed how medicines were managed and the records relating to this.
Following our inspection, the registered manager sent us information we requested. This included the service’s yearly improvement plan.
Updated
21 August 2019
About the service: Aeolian House provides personal care and support for up to eight adults with learning disabilities. The house includes a kitchen, lounge and dining room, bathrooms and toilets. Each person has their own bedroom and there is access to an enclosed garden. At the time of our inspection six people were using the service.
At the time of the provider’s registration, the care service had not been developed and designed in line with the values that underpin the Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. However, we found care was provided in line with these values which include choice, promotion of independence and inclusion. People living with learning disabilities and autism at Aeolian House were supported to live as ordinary a life as any citizen.
People’s experience of using this service:
People received support from staff who were trained and supported to carry out their role. There were enough qualified and skilled staff at the service and staff worked flexibly to meet people’s needs. The provider followed an appropriate recruitment process to employ suitable staff.
Aeolian House was kept clean and health and safety checks were carried out to make sure people lived in a safe environment.
People were protected from harm or injury. Systems for managing incidents, staff and care practices were used to achieve this. Staff knew how to recognise and report any concerns they had about people’s care and welfare and how to protect them from abuse.
People were supported to be healthy and their healthcare needs were monitored to help keep them safe and well. The staff worked with and referred people to other health care services to support people’s wellbeing. Medicines were managed safely and people had their medicines at the times they needed them.
People were involved in planning and preparing their meals according to their choices. They took part in activities they were interested in and staff encouraged people to try new ones.
Staff promoted and respected people's diversity and lifestyle choices. Information was made available in accessible formats to help people understand the care and support agreed.
People were supported to have choice in their daily lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. Staff respected people’s privacy, dignity, independence and the choices they made.
People experienced responsive and person-centred care. They exercised choice and control of their lives and were involved in the running of the service. Support plans recorded what was important to the person and were current. Where people's needs changed, the provider responded and reviewed the care provided.
People maintained relationships with those that mattered to them. People and their relatives had opportunities to share their views and the provider listened to their feedback. Arrangements were in place to monitor, investigate and respond to complaints.
The provider used a range of audits and checks to monitor and assess the quality and safety of the service. Where issues were identified, action was taken to improve the care and support people received.
Staff worked in partnership with other agencies for the benefit of the people living there.
Rating at last inspection: Good (report published 30 September 2016).
Why we inspected: This was a planned inspection based on the rating at the last inspection.
Follow up: We will continue to monitor the service through the information we receive. We will inspect in line with our inspection schedule or sooner if required.