Gatesgarth

Updated 15 August 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. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team:

The inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Service and service type:

Gatesgarth 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:

This inspection was unannounced.

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:

We spoke with three people who used the service and three relatives on the telephone about their experience of the care provided. We spent time observing the daily life in the home and we looked around the building to check the service was safe and clean. We spoke with five members of staff including the registered manager and care workers. We reviewed a range of records. This included three people’s care and medication records. We looked at four 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.

Updated 15 August 2019

About the service:

Gatesgarth is a residential care home providing personal care and accommodation to five people with a learning disability. The home is a bungalow in a community setting and designed to promote people's inclusion and independence.

The service has been developed and designed in line with the principles and values that underpin Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. This ensures that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes. The principles reflect the need for people with learning disabilities and/or autism to live meaningful lives that include control, choice, and independence. People using the service receive planned and co-ordinated person-centred support that is appropriate and inclusive for them.

People’s experience of using this service:

People received a consistently good service and felt safe with the support they received from the staff. Staff had developed caring and trusting relationships with people, with many staff being employed in the home for over ten years and more.

There was a strong, visible person-centred culture. The outcomes for people using the service reflected the principles and values of Registering the Right Support by promoting choice and control, independence and inclusion.

People's support focused on them having as many opportunities as possible for them to gain new skills and become more independent. People were encouraged and supported to engage in activities within the community.

People were safeguarded against the risks of abuse and harm by the systems and by the staff training in place. Risks to people were assessed and mitigated. When incidents took place, the provider reflected on events to help reduce the risk of these happening again.

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.

Staff had undertaken training which was regularly updated to ensure they had the skills and knowledge to support people effectively. The registered manager ensured there was always enough staff to provide flexible and responsive care.

People had access to external health professionals to help promote good health and wellbeing. They were encouraged to maintain a healthy diet and had support to take their medicines safely.

The home was well run. There was a new registered manager in post who had a good oversight of the service and was experienced in their role. The staff team were positive about the new manager’s input and keen to develop the service further for the benefit of people in the home.

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 the service was good (published 17 February 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.