Archived: Choice Support - 2 Endymion Road

Updated 29 March 2018

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection checked whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This inspection took place on 13 February 2018. The inspection was unannounced and carried out by one inspector. Before the inspection, we asked the provider to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We reviewed the completed PIR and previous inspection reports before the inspection.

We reviewed information we had about the provider, including notifications of any safeguarding or other incidents affecting the safety and well-being of people using the service. By law, the provider must notify us about certain changes, events and incidents that affect their service or the people who use it.

We met with all of the six people who used the service. We were not able to ask people who lived at the home direct questions about the service they received. We observed interactions between staff and people using the service as we wanted to see if the way that staff communicated and supported people had a positive effect on their well-being. We spoke with four care staff, the deputy manager and the registered manager. After the inspection we spoke with three relatives of people using the service. The area manager of the service wrote to us after the inspection and provided some additional information we had requested.

We looked at four people’s care plans and other documents relating to their care including risk assessments and medicine records. We looked at other records held at the home including meeting minutes, four staff files as well as health and safety documents and quality audits.

Updated 29 March 2018

This unannounced inspection was undertaken on 13 February 2018 and was carried out by one inspector. At our last comprehensive inspection in November 2016 the service was rated ‘Requires Improvement’. At the last inspection we identified three breaches of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. These breaches were in relation to infection control, risk assessing and good governance. At this inspection we found that the registered provider had addressed these breaches. At this inspection the service was rated as ‘Good’.

Choice Support – 2 Endymion Road is a ‘care home’ for people who have a learning disability. People in care homes receive accommodation and 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 home accommodates a maximum of six people. At the time of our inspection there were six people living at the home.

The care service has been developed and designed in line with the values that underpin the Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These values include choice, promotion of independence and inclusion. People with learning disabilities and autism using the service can live as ordinary a life as any citizen.

There was a registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

Staff understood their responsibilities to keep people safe from potential abuse, bullying or discrimination.

Risks had been recorded in people’s care plans and ways to reduce these risks had been explored and were being followed appropriately. Staff understood that there was a balance between taking risks and maintaining people’s independence.

People had been living at the home for a long time and it was clear that 2 Endymion Road was very much people’s home. People were relaxed with staff and the way staff interacted with people had a positive effect on their well-being.

There were systems in place to ensure medicines were handled and stored securely and administered to people safely and appropriately.

Staff were positive about working at the home and told us they appreciated the support and encouragement they received from the newly appointed registered manager.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

Staff understood the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and knew that they must offer as much choice to people as possible in making day to day decisions about their care.

People were included in making choices about what they wanted to eat and staff understood and followed people’s nutritional plans in respect of any healthcare needs people had.

People had regular access to healthcare professionals such as doctors, dentists, chiropodists and opticians.

Staff treated people as unique individuals who had different likes, dislikes, needs and preferences. Everyone had an individual plan of care which was reviewed on a regular basis and reflected their uniqueness.

Relatives told us that the management and staff listened to them and acted on their suggestions and wishes.

People were supported to raise any concerns or complaints and relatives were happy to raise any issues with the registered manager if they needed to.

People, their relatives, staff and health and social care professionals were all included in monitoring the quality of the service. The registered manager and staff understood that observation was very important to identify people’s well-being where people did not always communicate verbally.