17 Walsworth Road

Updated 20 December 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:

17 Walsworth Road 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 who was registered with the Care Quality Commission. A registered manager 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 two people who used the service, however they were unable to verbalise their views about the service to us, and two relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with the registered manager and three members of staff. 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 two people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at two staff files in relation to recruitment. A variety of records relating to the management of the service.

After the inspection

We looked at quality assurance, training and activity records.

Updated 20 December 2019

About the service

17 Walsworth Road is a residential care home providing personal care to six people at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to six people.

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 and physical 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 and what we found

People and relatives were happy with the care and support they received. Staff were friendly and attentive to people’s needs. People were not able to share their views on staffing, but relatives told us there were enough staff to meet people’s needs. However, at times changes in staff schedule meant that outings had to be rearranged. Staff were trained and felt supported.

People looked comfortable with staff and responded in a way that indicated they felt safe. Staff were aware of how to promote people’s safety. Regular checks were in place to ensure staff worked in accordance with training and health and safety guidance adhered to.

The environment had plenty of communal space for people to enjoy. People enjoyed the activities that were provided, staff told us there were regular opportunities for people to go out and people were encouraged to live full lives.

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 involved in planning their care with their relatives, if appropriate. Not everyone who lived at the service had end of life care plans developed. However, the registered manager had begun work on these and was communicating the importance of capturing this information before it was needed with relatives. There had been no recent complaints. Feedback was sought through meetings and surveys.

Feedback about the registered manager and staff team was positive. There was an open culture in the home and an expectation that people were supported in a person-centred way. Staff were clear about their roles and the management team engaged well with the team and other agencies.

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

The last rating for this service was Good (published 30 June 2017). At this inspection the service has remained rated as Good.

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.