Ulcomb House

Updated 31 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. 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:

One inspector carried out this inspection on the 5 July 2019.

Service and service type:

Ulcomb House 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 together with 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 was a comprehensive inspection and was unannounced.

What we did:

Before the inspection the provider completed a Provider Information Return. Providers are required to send us key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report. We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last comprehensive inspection, on 10 May 2018. This included details about incidents the provider must notify us about, such as abuse or serious injury.

During the inspection, we spoke with one person who lived in the service, one relative, the registered manager, the head of care and two members of staff. We reviewed a range of records. This included two people's care records and medicine records. We also looked at two staff recruitment records, assessment, supervision and support records and reviewed records relating to the management of the service, staff training, recreational activity records and policies and procedures.

Updated 31 July 2019

About the service:

Ulcomb House is registered to provide accommodation and personal care for a maximum of five people who have learning difficulties. There were four people living at the service at the time of the inspection. Some people at the service had one to one and two to one support. The service was spread over three floors of one adapted building and had an enclosed garden at the rear. This property housed several small buildings including office space for the provider and administrative staff and a maintenance workshop.

The service applied the principles and values of Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These ensured that people who used the service could live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes that included control, choice and independence. People using the service received planned and co-ordinated person-centred support that is appropriate and inclusive for them.

People’s experience of using this service:

People were treated with kindness, respect and compassion. We saw staff listening to people, answering questions and taking an interest in what people were saying. People were supported to express their views and be actively involved in making decisions about their care and support. People's privacy, dignity and independence were respected and promoted. One relative commented in a review, "My Son is well supported by the staff.”

People were protected from abuse. Staff received regular safeguarding training, knew how to identify potential signs of abuse and knew how to report concerns. Risks to people and the environment were assessed and minimised. Risks associated with people’s care had been identified and appropriate risk assessments were in place.

Staff were knowledgeable about the Mental Capacity Act 2005, knew how to seek consent for care and knew the process to help those who lacked capacity to make decisions. People’s needs were met by the adaptation, design and decoration of the service.

People had good relationships with staff, who were knowledgeable of their support needs, as well as likes, dislikes and interests. Staff were responsive to changes in people's health needs. If needed, they sought advice from relevant professionals.

There were enough staff to keep people safe and meet their needs.

The registered manager recruited staff with relevant experience and the right attitude to work with people. New staff were given an induction and all staff received on-going training.

People’s needs were assessed, and their care was delivered in line with current legislation.

People felt included in planning their care. People were supported to live the lifestyle of their choice. People told us they were listened to by the management of the service. One person told us about a future move to more independent living.

People could involve relatives and others who were important to them when they chose the care they wanted.

People received a person-centred service that met their needs and helped them to achieve their goals and ambitions. People were encouraged to be as independent as possible.

People were fully involved in their care planning and received information in a way that they understood. The care plans used were consistently reviewed and updated.

Care planning informed staff what people could do independently and what staff needed to do to support people.

Staff supported people to maintain a balanced diet and monitor their nutritional health. People had access to GP’s and their health and wellbeing was supported by prompt referrals and access to medical care if they became unwell.

Medicines were stored and managed safely. There were policies and procedures in place for the safe administration of medicines. People received their medicines when they needed them from staff who had been trained and competency checked.

People were protected by the prevention and control of infection.

People felt comfortable raising any complaints with staff and the registered manager.

People were asked for feedback about the service they received.

People said the registered manager was approachable and supportive.

Accidents and incidents were reported by staff in line with the provider’s policy, and the registered manager took steps to ensure that lessons were learned when things went wrong.

The provider and registered manager made sure they monitored the service in various ways to ensure they continued to provide a good quality service that maintained people’s safety.

The provider, registered manager and staff were working with a clear vision for the service.

Rating at last inspection:

This service was rated, ‘Requires Improvement’ at the last inspection (published on 26 July 2018).

At this inspection, we found the service met the characteristics of ‘Good’ in all key questions.

Why we inspected:

This was a comprehensive inspection scheduled based on the previous rating.

Follow up:

We will continue to monitor the service.

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