The Palms

Updated 11 September 2019

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 Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Service and service type

The Palms 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 service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. 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.

Notice of inspection

We gave 24 hours’ notice of the inspection as it is a small service and we wanted to ensure people would be in.

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 and professionals who work with the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

Not all people communicated with us verbally about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with two people about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with three members of staff including the registered manager and two support workers.

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 reviewed a range of records. This included four people’s care records and two medicines records. We looked at three staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

After the inspection

We telephoned two relatives to gather their views about service provision. We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at training data and quality assurance records.

Updated 11 September 2019

About the service

The Palms is a residential care home providing personal care and support to seven younger adults with learning disabilities, or associated conditions. There were seven people using the service at the time of the inspection.

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

The service was provided from one house and was registered to support seven people. It therefore conformed with current best practice guidance.

The principles and values of Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance ensure people with a learning disability and or autism who use a service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best outcomes that include control, choice and independence. At this inspection the provider had ensured they were applied.

The vision of the service reflected these principles ensuring people with learning disabilities have opportunities and choice and are supported to achieve their aspirations. Staff adopted the ethos to provide person-centred care that enabled individuals to develop skills and behaviours to live independent lives, whatever the level of need.

Some of the people who used the service had complex needs and they did not express their views verbally about the service. During the time we spent with people we saw they appeared comfortable with staff.

There was a busy, lively environment and the building was well-maintained. Staff knew the people they were supporting well. Care plans were in place detailing how people wished to be supported. Staff had developed good relationships with people, were caring in their approach and treated people with respect. Systems were in place to protect people from abuse.

There were enough staff available to provide individual care and support to each person. Staff upheld people's human rights and treated everyone with respect and dignity. Staff received training and support to help them carry out their role

Communication was effective and staff and people were listened to. Staff said they felt well-supported and were aware of their rights and their responsibility to share any concerns about the care provided.

Relatives were kept informed and involved in decision making about people's care. There were opportunities for people to follow their interests and hobbies. They were supported to be part of the local community and to go on holiday. Arrangements for managing people's medicines were safe. People received a varied and well-balanced diet.

Information was accessible to involve people in decision making about their lives. 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.

The registered manager monitored the quality of the service through audits and feedback received from people, their relatives, staff and external agencies.

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 18 January 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.