Resolve

Updated 1 April 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. 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

One inspector carried out this inspection.

Service and service type

Resolve [known as Low House] 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 who was also the provider. This means that they 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 12 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure that the registered manager would be available to support the inspection.

What we did before the 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 of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with five people about their experience of the care and support provided. We spoke with six members of staff including the registered manager, team leader, graduate manager, and three support staff. On the second day of the inspection, we spoke with the housekeeper, college tutor and registered manager and on the third day we spoke with five relatives via telephone.

We reviewed a range of records. This included two people’s support plans, risk assessments and medication records. We looked at two staff files in relation to recruitment, training and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

After the inspection

We contacted four health or social care professionals by email. Their views were incorporated into this report.

Updated 1 April 2020

About the service:

Resolve [at Low House] provides high quality accommodation and personal care to adult males with learning disability. At the time of this inspection, six people used the service, although another person was transitioning to the service so it would be fully occupied.

People’s experience of using this service:

The service maintained its overall rating of outstanding awarded at the last inspection in 2017 and also in 2015. The service continued its drive for excellence across all areas and achieved national recognition for its work in developing people and the whole staff team. People, relatives, health, education and social care professionals continued to describe the service as exceptional and said care was extremely person-centred and responsive.

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.

The registered manager, staff and people living at the service were enthusiastic about the inspection visit and were eager to share their experiences. People wanted to show us their pride in their achievements and many staff who weren't on duty during our visit, took the time to write to us with moving statements of the personal and professional support they were given.

There was a planned and comprehensive approach to risk taking which meant people were enabled to remain safe but yet experience the everyday activities we all aspire to such as going to a football match, cooking for our "family" and meaningful work in the community. Many people at the service had never had these opportunities before moving to Resolve.

The service went above and beyond to ensure people knew and understood their rights. The had developed easy read information leaflets with symbols to enable people to understand complex concepts such as Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards and General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR). This showed people were empowered to be an equal partner in their care and support.

Staff were exceptionally kind and caring towards people and had developed very strong relationships with them. Staff had undergone additional training to meet the specific needs of the people they supported and the service had developed an innovative leadership programme with the national learning organisation. People had a say in who supported them to enable them to have confidence in their immediate network of support when out in the community.

The service was exceptional at helping people achieve positive outcomes, building confidence, independence and helping people develop and restore life skills.

There was an excellent range of activities and opportunities available to people. People had been introduced to new activities, which had led to the development of hobbies, friendships and opportunities for volunteering. Through exceptional care and support planning people had gained skills and meaningful qualifications.

Since our last inspection, improvements continued to be made to enhance internal aspects of the home, and externally within the grounds with new standout features.

The registered manager and the wider leadership team were inspiring and dedicated to providing support which met the highest of standards. They strived for excellence through collaboration; they were passionate and dedicated to providing an outstanding service to people.

The service had achieved National Autistic Society accreditation since our last visit, the only residential service in the North East to achieve this status and was a finalist in the national Skills for Care prestigious awards in recognition of their commitment to developing talent, and unwavering commitment to providing high quality care. The provider was rewarded by being included in the 2019 Parliamentary review of residential care that showcased the best practice within their field.

There was a golden thread of professionalism throughout the service. Staff were empowered to develop their careers and have self awareness, communication at all levels was excellent and the approach to risk and safeguarding was critically analysed daily by highly aware staff.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection:

At the last inspection the service was rated outstanding [published June 2017].

Why we inspected:

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up:

We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.