Weston Villa

Updated 23 August 2023

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 was carried out by 3 inspectors and an Expert by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

Weston Villa 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. Weston Villa 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 provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

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

We gave the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because the service is small and people are often out and we wanted to be sure there would be people at home to speak with us.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority, Healthwatch and professionals who work with the service. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England.

The provider was not asked to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR) prior to this inspection. A PIR is information providers send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us.

We observed 3 people and their interaction with staff during the inspection. We spoke with 4 relatives of people living in the service by telephone. We had discussions with 7 staff which included the area manager, registered manager, deputy manager and four care and support staff.

We reviewed a range of records. This included aspects of 3 people's care records and medication records. We looked at 2 staff files in relation to recruitment. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including quality assurance audits, training records and meeting minutes were reviewed.

Updated 23 August 2023

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.

The care home accommodates people across two separate buildings. Weston Villa has four self-contained flats which accommodates four individuals, and the second building known as Henson Court is a 4-bed bungalow that has a communal areas and individual bedrooms with en-suite facilities. Weston Villa and Henson Court are registered as one service; in the report we will talk about the service as one location.

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

Right Support:

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.

People were supported to follow their interests although some people spent a lot of time indoors by choice. They were encouraged to try new experiences and to spend time outdoors. Staffing was under review to acquire more hours that would mean people could be supported with more activities and visits outside of the service, how and when they wanted. Staff supported people to develop strategies to manage emotional distress and anxiety, maximising safety to provide the best circumstances in which people could make decisions and experience an active and rewarding day. Periods of anxiety or emotional distress were recorded, which included the action taken by staff to support people. The registered manager considered these as part of the review process of people’s needs.

Right Care:

Staff understood how to protect people from poor care and potential harm. The service worked with other agencies to do so. Staff had training on how to recognise and report abuse and they knew how to apply it. Staff supported people to access health and social care support, which included a regular review of their prescribed medicines. People could communicate with staff and understand information given to them as staff supported them consistently and understood their individual communication needs. Staff knew how to support people safely and in line with their individual risk assessments and care plans. People were supported with their Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS) needs and care plans were in place to support people to make healthy choices around food and drinks.

Right Culture:

People appeared relaxed within their home and in the presence of staff. People were supported to do as much as they could for themselves and to learn new skills. We observed staff encouraging people’s independence such as supporting them to pay for goods when out at an eatery. People's needs, and choices were assessed, and their care was provided in line with their preferences. Staff supported people to have choice, control and independence over their own lives. Planned improvements to the environment to personalise it to better reflect the personalities of those living at the service were in progress and people were involved in the process. The registered manager sought to drive continuous improvements in the service for the benefit of people living there.

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

Since the last inspection the provider’s legal entity has changed. The last rating for the service under the previous legal entity was Requires Improvement, published on 23 February 2022.

Why we inspected

The inspection was prompted in part due to concerns received about several incidents involving the police. We also undertook this inspection to assess that the service is applying the principles of 'Right support right care right culture'.

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.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Weston Villa on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.