Background to this inspection
Updated
11 July 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.
Service and service type
Maple House - Care Home Learning Disabilities 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
This inspection site visit took place on 4 June 2019 and was unannounced.
What we did
We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and 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 two people using the service and following our inspection spoke with two relatives by telephone to seek their feedback. We also met and spoke with the deputy manager and three support workers. At the time of our inspection the registered manager was on planned leave. We reviewed a range of records including two people’s care plans and records and three staff recruitment and training records. We also reviewed records used in managing the service for example, policies and procedures, monitoring records and minutes of meetings.
Updated
11 July 2019
About the service
Maple House is a small residential care home that provides care and support for up to five people with a learning disability. At the time of our inspection the home was fully occupied.
The service has 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. People using the service receive planned and co-ordinated person-centred support that is appropriate and inclusive for them.
People’s experience of using this service
People and their relatives spoke positively about the care and support received. During our inspection we observed that staff interacted well with people and had built good relationship’s and rapport with them.
People and their relatives told us they felt safe. Safeguarding and whistleblowing policies and procedures were in place and staff were aware of the procedures and how to keep people safe. People were protected from identified risks and plans were in place to manage risks safely in the least restrictive way.
There were arrangements in place to manage medicines safely and staff followed appropriate infection control practices to prevent the spread of infections. Appropriate recruitment checks took place before staff started work. There were sufficient staff available to meet people's needs. Staff had the skills, knowledge and experience to support people appropriately. Staff were supported through induction, training and supervision.
People were supported to maintain a healthy balanced diet. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service support this practice.
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 opportunities for them to gain new skills and become more independent.
Maple House was clean, homely and suitably adapted to meet the needs of the people living there. People had individualised rooms with personal items.
People and their relatives were involved and consulted about their care and support needs. People had access to health and social care professionals as required. People were supported to access community service and to participate in activities of their choosing that met their needs.
Staff worked with people to promote their rights and understood the Equality Act 2010; supporting people appropriately addressing any protected characteristics. There were systems in place to assess, monitor and improve the quality of the service. The service worked in partnership with health and social care professionals and other organisations to ensure appropriate support was provided to individuals.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection: Good (Report was published on 14 December 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.