Summerlands

Updated 7 February 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 was planned to check 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 10 January 2018 and was unannounced. The inspection was carried out by two inspectors.

Before the inspection we looked at information the provider sent us in the Provider Information Return. This is information we require providers to send us at least once annually to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We looked at previous inspection reports and notifications we had received. Notifications are information we receive from the service when significant events happen, like a serious injury.

During the inspection we spent time with all of the people who live at the service and spoke with four of them. We spoke with the registered manager, and five staff. After the inspection we also received feedback form a health and social care professional. We looked at three people’s care plans and the associated risk assessments and guidance. We looked at a range of other records including three staff recruitment files, the staff induction records, training and supervision schedules, staff rotas, medicines records and quality assurance surveys and audits.

We last inspected the service in November 2016 and it was rated requires improvement with no breaches of regulation.

Updated 7 February 2018

Summerlands is a service for up to nine people with learning disabilities and /or autistic spectrum disorder who may also have behaviours that can be challenging. The service is a single storey property close to the village of Charing. There were eight people living at the service when we inspected.

Summerlands 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 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 at the service who was supported by a deputy manager. 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.

At the last inspection on 18 November 2016, we asked the provider to take action to make improvements related to concerns about applying the principles of the Mental Capacity Act, staff understanding the visions of the service, care plans relating to health not giving the guidance required. Also quality auditing systems used by the provider had not identified the shortfalls found at our inspection, issues about people receiving the correct level of one to one support and notifications had not always been submitted when required and this action has been completed.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported people in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this. People were supported by staff who knew them well and who adapted their support to meet the needs of each person. Staff used a range of communication tools to enable people to understand decisions and express themselves. People were treated with kindness and compassion and in a way which promoted their dignity and privacy.

People were involved in developing their own care plans; this led to documents which reflected the person’s personality alongside their needs. Care plans gave staff the information they required to support people in line with their preferences and in a way, which met their needs. Staff had worked with people to develop ways to become more independent. People took part in a range of activities, which they told us they enjoyed. People’s health needs were managed well, staff had regular communication with health professionals and any advice given was incorporated in to people’s care plans. People’s medicines were managed safely and in the way they preferred. People chose what they wanted to eat and when, staff encouraged people to take part in preparation of their meals and drinks. People had been spoken to about their wishes for end of life care and plans were in place which detailed their choices.

People were supported by staff who had the training and support required to enable them to carry out their roles. Staff had received safeguarding training and understood their responsibilities in relation to reporting concerns. Staffing levels were based around people’s needs and activities and staff had been recruited using processes which ensured they were suitable to support people.

Risks to people and the environment were identified, assessed and plan were in place to mitigate risks. Accidents and incidents were analysed and reviewed for learning by the registered manager and centrally by the provider. Staff understood the principles of infection control and personal protective equipment was readily available for people and staff. When required adaptations had been made to the premises, for example some people had rails fitted in their bedroom and bathroom to enable them to be more independent.

There was a clear vision and objective at the service to support people to have new opportunities and to work with each person as an individual. All the staff were aware of this aim and told us how this applied to the way they supported people. People, staff and professionals told us the registered manager was approachable and knew people at the service well. Feedback was sought from people, staff and other stakeholders. Staff maintained regular contact with other agencies in order to meet the needs of people. People were encouraged to raise any concerns or complaints in a range of ways and these were addressed appropriately. Regular audits were completed to monitor the quality of the service and action was taken to address any shortfalls identified. The registered manager kept up to date with good practice and legislation through regular meetings held by the provider. This information was shared with staff in team meetings. Staff told us they were encouraged to think of ways to apply this in order to improve the care and support people received. Staff were allocated specific roles and responsibilities, which were displayed in the office. The registered manager had submitted notifications as required and the rating from the last inspection was displayed as required.