Penleigh House

Updated 30 November 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. 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

Penleigh 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 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

The inspection was unannounced, so the provider, registered manager and staff team did not know we would be visiting. The inspection was completed on the 29 October 2019.

What we did before the inspection

The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. 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 inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spent time with people observing how they were being supported. This was because people living at Penleigh were unable to tell us about their experience of the care. We spoke with the registered manager and five members of staff.

We reviewed a range of records. This included one person’s care records and medication records. We also looked at a variety of records relating to the management of the service.

After the inspection

We spoke with a relative seeking their views about Penleigh House.

Updated 30 November 2019

About the service

Penleigh House is a care home providing personal care for ten people. People who live at the home have learning and physical disabilities. At the time of the inspection, there were ten people living in the home, although one person was in hospital.

The provider and the registered manager had put a lot of investment to ensure the facilities that people had were meeting their needs. In the grounds of Penleigh House, there was a purpose-built activity hub called the 'Gate House’. This was well equipped to provide people with opportunities to build on their skills of independence and spend time away from their home completing a variety of meaningful activities.

In a separate building called 'The Lodge' there was a hot tub fully equipped with moving and handling equipment, soft lighting and music to help people with physical disabilities to relax. This was very beneficial as it also provided people with a sensory experience and was therapeutic to the mind and body.

The home met most of the characteristics that underpin the 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 received planned and co-ordinated person-centred support that was appropriate and inclusive for them.

Penleigh House was registered to support up to ten people. This is larger than current best practice guidance. However, the size of the service having a negative impact on people was mitigated by the building design, fitting into the residential area and the other large domestic homes of a similar size in the neighbourhood.

There were deliberately no identifying signs, intercom, cameras, industrial bins or anything else outside to indicate it was a care home. Staff were also discouraged from wearing anything that suggested they were care staff when coming and going with people.

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

Some people living in Penleigh House had a profound physical disability and therefore did not communicate verbally. In order to understand their experiences, we observed staff interactions with people over the course of our inspection. Staff were very caring and attentive to people throughout.

People continued to receive care that was safe. There were sufficient numbers of staff to meet people's needs and to spend time with them doing the things they liked to do. Risk assessments were carried out to enable people to receive care with minimum risk to themselves or others. People received their medicines safely.

Staff had the skills, knowledge and the support required to effectively support people. People's healthcare needs were monitored by the staff. Other health and social care professionals were involved in the care and support of the people living at Penleigh House. Because staff knew people extremely well they promptly recognised when they were unhappy or unwell.

Staff were caring and provided people with care tailored to their needs promoting their rights to live an ordinary life. People were supported to have 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.

The staff were extremely responsive to people’s needs and person centred in their approach. People were supported to do the things they wanted to do and enjoy. People were supported to keep in contact with family and build new friendships because of the community based activities they took part in. The facilities that people had available to them such as the activity hub, the hot tub and relaxation/sensory room were excellent not only for enjoyment but for mobility and health.

The service was very well managed and put people at the heart of all that they did. The provider had quality assurance systems in place to monitor the running of the home and the quality of the care being delivered. There was an open and transparent culture within the service. It was evident they strived to provide the best experience for people and were creative and innovative in looking at the facilities and activities that people were taking part in.

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

Rating at last inspection

Good (report published May 2017)

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

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.