22 March 2022
During an inspection looking at part of the service
About the service
L'Arche Bognor Regis Jericho is a care home providing accommodation and personal care for up to six adults with learning disabilities and/or a variety of associated health and support needs. At the time of inspection, the service was supporting six people. People live in one large house.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
Right Support
The service didn’t always provide people care and support in a safe, clean or well-maintained environment. Governance systems were not always effective and had not always identified or managed concerns. For example, kitchen hygiene standards were not formally monitored or checked and this shortfall increased the potential risk of harm to people. The community leader provided assurances of their improvement plans. There were shortfalls with managing risks in the environment and we have made recommendations about the management of the premises to support people to stay safe.
Staff focused on people’s strengths and promoted what they could do, so people had a fulfilling and meaningful everyday life. We observed people participating in a variety of individual and group activities of their choosing. People and relatives told us staff supported people to take part in activities and pursue their interests in their local area. A visiting professional told us about how staff engaged with people to participate in activities and how the pandemic had impacted on opportunities. They told us, “Hopefully the houses will start mixing again, it’s good for everyone. It's a wonderful organisation and I admire the [staff] greatly”.
Right Care
People received kind and compassionate care. Staff protected and respected people’s privacy and dignity. They understood and responded to their individual needs with genuine regard for the person. A relative said, “The house is a wonderful place, the staff are wonderful people and they think the world of [the person]”. The service had enough appropriately skilled staff to meet people’s needs and keep them safe. People received care that supported their needs and aspirations, was focused on their quality of life, and followed best practice. A relative told us how staff had supported their loved one with an interest in music, “Staff had thought it would be a good idea for [person] to work on their music”. The persons skills and enthusiasm continued to develop and resulted in them being able to sing happy birthday to a loved one.
Staff understood how to protect people from poor care and abuse. The service worked well with other agencies to do so. Staff had training on how to recognise and report abuse and they knew how to apply it. People and relatives told us they felt safe.
Right culture
People led inclusive and empowered lives because of the ethos, values, attitudes and behaviours of the management and staff. L’Arche Jericho operated a community shared lives model where ‘Core members’ (People) were respected and supported to live a quality life of their choosing.
Staff knew and understood people well and placed people’s wishes, needs and rights at the heart of everything they did. We saw people offered opportunities and choices within a collaborative culture based on respect and inclusivity.
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 (published 2 February 2018)
Why we inspected
We undertook this focused inspection to assess that the service is applying the principles of Right support right care right culture. We have found evidence that the provider needs to make improvements. Please see the safe and well led section of this full report.
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.
Enforcement
We are mindful of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our regulatory function. This meant we took account of the exceptional circumstances arising as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic when considering what enforcement action was necessary and proportionate to keep people safe as a result of this inspection. We will continue to monitor the service and will take further action if needed.
We have identified a breach in relation to governance at this inspection.
Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.
Follow up
We will request an action plan from the provider to understand what they will do to improve the standards of quality and safety. We will work alongside the provider and local authority to monitor progress. We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.