Archived: Vicarage Road

Updated 10 December 2021

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.

As part of this inspection we looked at the infection control and prevention measures in place. This was conducted so we can understand the preparedness of the service in preventing or managing an infection outbreak, and to identify good practice we can share with other services.

Inspection team

One inspector carried out this inspection.

Service and service type

Vicarage Road is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a 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 was unannounced.

What we did before inspection

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 also contacted Healthwatch. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England. 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 this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with three people who used the service and two relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spent time with people to see how staff supported them. We spoke with six members of staff including the registered manager, the deputy manager, the team leader, a bank support worker and two senior support workers. We reviewed a range of records. This included two people’s care and medication records. We looked at two staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at training data and spoke with a professional who regularly visit the service.

Updated 10 December 2021

About the service

Vicarage Road is a residential care home providing accommodation and personal care to up to six older people or younger adults with learning disabilities or autistic spectrum disorder, a sensory impairment, dementia or a physical disability. At the time of our inspection, six people were living at the home.

The home is divided into three separate floors with shared kitchen, lounge, gardens and dining room areas on the ground floor, and bedrooms and a shared bathroom on the first and second floors.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

People were happy living at Vicarage Road and gave positive feedback about the care and support they received. People were encouraged to express their views and to be as independent as possible. People were treated with kindness and respect.

There were enough staff to keep people safe. Staff understood their safeguarding responsibilities and knew what action to take if they had any concerns about a person’s safety. Risks to people’s health had been identified, assessed and managed safely.

People received their medicines as prescribed and medicines were managed safely. The home was clean, tidy and staff promoted good infection control practices.

Staff felt supported and received appropriate training to carry out their roles.

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.

People had access to a range of healthcare professionals to ensure their health and wellbeing was being managed well. People were supported to eat and drink enough to maintain a healthy and balance diet.

Systems and processes were in place to monitor and improve the quality of care provided.

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee autistic people and people with a learning disability the choices, dignity, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. Right Support, right care, right culture is the statutory guidance which supports CQC to make assessments and judgements about services providing support to people with a learning disability and/or autistic people.

The service was able to demonstrate how they were meeting the underpinning principles of Right support, right care, right culture.

Right support:

• Model of care and setting maximises people’s choice, control and

independence

Right care:

• Care is person-centred and promotes people’s dignity, privacy and human

rights

Right culture:

• Ethos, values, attitudes and behaviours of leaders and care staff ensure people using services lead confident, inclusive and empowered lives

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 good (published 19 March 2020).

Why we inspected

We undertook this inspection as part of a random selection of services rated Good and Outstanding to test the reliability of our new monitoring approach.

We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.

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.