Shrewsbury House

Updated 25 October 2022

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 Health and Social Care Act 2008.

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

The inspection team consisted of an inspector and a medicines team support officer.

Service and service type

Shrewsbury House is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing and/or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement dependent on their registration with us. Shrewsbury House is a care home without nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Registered Manager

This service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. 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.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

Inspection activity started on 13 July 2022 and ended on 27 July 2022. We visited the service on 13 July 2022 and 15 July 2022. The inspection included an element which was outside of usual office working hours.

What we did before the inspection

We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used information gathered as part of the monitoring activity that took place on 5 May 2022 to help plan the inspection and inform our judgements. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with four people who used the service and one relative to hear about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with six members of staff including the registered manager, deputy manager and support workers. We received feedback from two healthcare professionals who regularly worked with the service. We reviewed a range of records. This included five people’s care records. We looked at four staff files in relation to recruitment and supervision. We reviewed five people’s medicines records. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures, were reviewed.

Updated 25 October 2022

About the service

Shrewsbury House is a residential care home providing personal care and accommodation to up to five people with a learning disability and/or autistic people. The service provides support across one main building and an annex. At the time of our inspection there were five people using the service.

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices and independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ is the guidance CQC follows to make assessments and judgements about services supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people and providers must have regard to it.

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

Right Support:

Staff supported people to live as independently as possible and be in full control of their daily lives. People were provided with a choice in all their decision-making and families were involved where they wanted to be. People’s risks in relation to their care were managed well and staff understood what was important to people. Staff understood how to maintain and improve people’s independence, including by taking positive risks to improve their quality of life. There were sufficient staff at the service to meet people’s needs. People’s medicines were managed well by appropriately trained staff. We were assured that the service were following good infection prevention and control (IPC) procedures to keep people safe.

Right Care:

People and their relatives told us they felt supported by staff in a kind and caring way. People’s differences were respected by staff and they had undertaken relevant training to effectively support people. People told us that the care they received was consistent and that staff knew them well. People’s right to privacy was respected and staff encouraged people to regularly provide feedback about the care provided. Care records were person-centred and included information on how best to support people. Staff encouraged and supported people to maintain good oral hygiene. The service was located in a residential street and there were no outward signs to differentiate it from neighbouring properties.

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.

Right Culture:

The culture of the service was exceptionally open, inclusive and empowered people to live independent lives. People and their relatives told us they found the registered manager very approachable and that their ideas and concerns would be listened to by management. We observed the registered manager and staff interacting with people in a kind and caring way throughout the inspection. People told us that staff had helped them become more confident and independent and this had a positive impact on their lives. The provider had undertaken regular audits to look at ways of improving the service and identifying issues which were addressed in a timely manner. Staff were complimentary about the management of the service and felt valued and supported with their wellbeing. Staff told us they were able to raise concerns with the registered manager and were actively encouraged to undertake training and nationally recognised qualifications. Staff had worked closely with healthcare professionals to achieve positive outcomes for people.

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 (Report published 6 December 2018).

Why we inspected

We undertook this inspection as part of a random selection of services which have had a recent Direct Monitoring Approach (DMA) assessment where no further action was needed to seek assurance about this decision and to identify learning about the DMA process.

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, which will help inform when we next inspect.