Cumberland Gate

Updated 11 May 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:

The inspection was conducted by an adult social care inspector.

Service and service type:

Cumberland Gate is a 'care home'. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

At the time of the inspection the service did not have a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission; the registered manager had very recently left the service. A permanent home manager had been appointed but they were absent from work through sickness. The provider had made alternative arrangements and an interim manager was in place, who was supported by the area manager. We were advised that the home manager would be applying to CQC to become the registered manager on their return to work in June 2019.

Notice of inspection:

We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection visit because it is small, and the manager is often out supporting people. We needed to be sure that they would be in and available to assist with the inspection.

What we did:

Prior to the inspection we reviewed the information we held in relation to Cumberland Gate. This included the statutory notifications sent to us by the registered provider about incidents and events that had occurred at the service. A notification is information about important events which the service is required to send to us by law. 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. The provider had completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). The PIR is information providers must send us to give us key information about the service, what it does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account in making our judgements in this report.

We also considered any information received from the public and professionals. We used this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection we spoke with the acting manager and a support worker. We looked at two people's care files, medicine administration processes, and other records relevant to the quality monitoring of the service.

We undertook general observations of the home over the course of the inspection, including the general environment, décor and furnishings and bedrooms of the people who lived at Cumberland Gate. After the inspection we spoke with two relatives.

Updated 11 May 2019

About the service: Cumberland Gate is a residential care home. This service supports people with autism; The service is registered to care for three people; there were three people living at the service at the time of the inspection.

People’s experience of using this service:

The service applied the principles of Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These ensure that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes that include control, choice and independence. The outcomes for people using the service reflected the principles and values of Registering the Right Support in the promotion of choice and control, independence and inclusion. People's support focused on them having as many opportunities as possible for them to gain new skills and become more independent. Cumberland Gate is located in an area that enabled people using the service to participate in their own local community.

Risks that people faced had been assessed and those identified were safely managed. Medicines were managed safely. Staff showed a good understanding of their roles and responsibilities of keeping people safe from harm.

Staffing levels were appropriately managed and people received care from consistent, regular staff. Enough staff were employed each day to meet people's needs, keep them safe and give them the opportunity to take part in their chosen activity.

Staff received a range of training appropriate to their role and people's needs and were supported by the acting manager through regular supervision.

People were encouraged and supported to eat and drink well. People with dietary needs were given a choice of suitable meals and snacks. People were supported to access healthcare when needed.

People were offered choice and control and where able, consented to their care and support. Pictures and photographs were used to facilitate effective communication. Staff supported people to be as independent as possible with activities of daily living, such as laundry, cooking, shopping and personal care.

The leadership of the service promoted a positive culture that was person-centred and inclusive. We received positive feedback about the quality of care and support people received and the overall management of the service from their relatives. The interim manager and the staff team showed a desire to improve on the service provided and in turn the quality of life experiences for the people at Cumberland Gate.

Effective systems were in place to check the quality and safety of the service. The environment was safe and in a good state of repair and decoration.

Rating at last inspection: At the last inspection the service was rated Good; (Report published 28 October 2016)

Why we inspected: This was a planned comprehensive inspection to confirm that the service remained good.

Follow up: We will continue to monitor the service through the information we receive. If any concerning information is received, we may inspect sooner.

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