• Care Home
  • Care home

Archived: Houghton Regis Community Care Scheme

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

Roman Court, Houghton Regis, Dunstable, Bedfordshire, LU5 5UB (01582) 861186

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Important: The provider of this service changed. See new profile

All Inspections

12 February 2016

During a routine inspection

This inspection took place on 12 February 2016 and was unannounced. We spoke with relatives of the people who use this service to gather their views on 15 February 2016. When we last inspected this service in June 2013 we found that the provider was meeting the legal requirements in the areas that we looked at.

Houghton Regis Community Care Scheme is a residential care service that provides accommodation for up to 16 people with learning and physical disabilities. People who lived at this service were cared for in four flats all situated in the same complex each able to house four people. At the time of our inspection there were 11 people living at this service.

The home has a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

People were safe as the provider had effective systems in place to protect them from avoidable harm. However, improvements within the environment were needed to make the service safer and suitable for the people who lived there. People’s medicines were administered safely and they were supported to access other healthcare professionals to maintain their health and well-being.

People were involved in choosing the food they had and were offered choices of nutritious food and drinks throughout the day. The people who needed help to eat their food were supported in doing so by staff. They were encouraged to maintain their independence and supported to maintain their interests and hobbies.

It was unclear if people were aware of the provider’s complaints system due to the nature of their learning disabilities. However the provider had information in an easy read format available in all the four flats. People were encouraged to contribute to the development of the service.

Staff were trained and they understood the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA), and the associated Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards. They were caring and respected people’s privacy and dignity. They understood the provider’s visions and values.

People and their relatives were asked for feedback about the service to enable improvements and there was an effective quality monitoring system in place.

5 June 2013

During a routine inspection

When we visited Houghton Regis Community Care Scheme on 5 June 2013 we spoke to seven people who use the service. We also spoke to two staff members, the registered manager and the regional manager.

The majority of the people we spoke with used a limited amount of words to communicate. Staff helped us to understand what people said through other means of communication such as facial expressions and hand signing. People said that they were happy living at Houghton Regis Community Care Scheme and staff cared for them well. We observed positive interactions between people and staff. People looked comfortable in staff's company and staff were caring.

We found that appropriate standards of cleanliness and hygiene were maintained. However, the duty of care in the management of waste was not consistently followed. Although the home ensured that appropriate checks were undertaken before staff began work; we found in one person's recruitment file that gaps in their employment history had not been explored.

22 June 2012

During a routine inspection

During our visit on 22 June 2012, we used a number of different methods to help us understand the experiences of people using the service, because some people had complex needs which meant they were not able to tell us about their experiences.

The majority of the people we spoke with used a limited amount of words to communicate, but staff helped us to understand what people were saying through other means of communication such as facial expressions and hand signing. People's communication preferences were explained in their care records and staff we spoke with demonstrated that they understood these.

We spoke with four people using the service, and observed the care and support provided to them and one other person. We also spoke to four members of staff, including the manager. Everyone we spoke with indicated that they were happy living at Houghton Regis Community Care Scheme, and with the support they received. One person told us very clearly that they liked living at the service and that they wanted to stay there.

7 December 2011

During a routine inspection

During our visit to Houghton Regis Community Care Scheme on 07 December 2011 we observed the care and support being given to people in each of the four flats, and spoke with one person. A number of the people living here did not use words to communicate, and some people were out. One person told us how much they like living at this home.

Our observations confirmed that on the whole people living here and the staff have good relationships, and generally staff were kind and attentive to people's needs.