Chaffinches

Updated 23 January 2020

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 team consisted of one inspector.

Service and service type:

Chaffinches 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 the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because the service is small, and people are often out, and we wanted to be sure there would be people and staff at the home to speak with us.

What we did:

The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report.

As part of the inspection we spent time with two of the three people who received support from the service. One person was away on holiday. We spoke with the registered manager, and a member of support staff. We looked at three people’s care records and two staff files including training and recruitment. We reviewed the service’s accidents and incidents, audits and complaints policies, and looked at other systems, including for medicines management.

Following the inspection, we spoke with two relatives by telephone, with people’s permission. Two staff members gave us additional feedback via email.

Updated 23 January 2020

About the service:

Chaffinches is a 'care home' registered to provide accommodation and personal care support for up to three people living with a learning disability, and/or autistic spectrum disorder. At the time of this inspection three people were living there.

People’s experience of using this service:

People living at Chaffinches received personalised support which met their needs and preferences. Some people and staff had lived or worked there for over 20 years, and were very familiar and comfortable with each other. There were good relationships between staff and people receiving support. Any issues or changes were discussed openly amongst the people living and working at the service.

People and relatives were very positive about the service, and told us Chaffinches was well run. Effective quality assurance systems were in place to assess, monitor and improve the quality and safety of the support provided. The service ensured changes in best practice guidance were implemented to help make improvements in people’s lives. For example, outcomes for people using the service reflected the principles and values of Registering the Right Support guidance. This meant people had opportunities to be involved with their local community, and experience as many activities and choices as possible.

People were actively involved in the planning and delivery of their support, setting personal goals and evaluating their outcomes. People’s care and support plans were followed in practice. People had opportunities to take positive risks and spend time independently in the community or at the service. People were supported to prepare meals, make decisions over healthy eating and take greater control of managing their health.

Risks to people’s health, safety and wellbeing were assessed and acted upon. Risk assessments gave staff clear direction on how to minimise risks for people. Risks from the environment were managed, and people were able to personalise their own rooms, with evidence of their hobbies and interests.

People living at the service were protected from abuse because staff had received training and were confident in raising concerns about people’s wellbeing. Safe medicines practice was understood and followed. People’s rights regarding capacity and consent were understood and information was available to help people understand their rights and how to keep safe.

Staff were provided with the training, supervision and support they needed. There was a thorough recruitment process which updated checks such as police record checks regularly. This helped ensure staff remained safe to work with people. Staff received regular supervision and the registered manager worked alongside staff to ensure their performance was maintained. Staff were committed to and positive about the service and the people they were supporting.

More information is in the full report

Rating at last inspection: This service was last inspected on 16 May 2017 and was rated good overall and in every key question.

Why we inspected: This inspection was scheduled based on the last inspection date and rating of the service.

Follow up: We will continue to monitor the intelligence we receive about the service. If any concerning information is received, we may inspect sooner