The Mount

Updated 1 May 2020

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

This inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Service and service type

The Mount is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a 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 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 reviewed the information we held about the service such as when the provider told us about serious injuries or events

We sought feedback from the local authority contracts monitoring and safeguarding adults' teams but did not receive any formal feedback. We received feedback from the NHS Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), who commission services from the provider, and asked the local Healthwatch for their feedback. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection-

We reviewed documentation, inspected the safety of the premises and carried out observations in communal areas. 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 spoke with five people who used the service, two relatives, and five members of staff including the registered manager. We reviewed the care records for two people, medicine records for six people and the recruitment records for two members of staff.

We looked at a range of records. This included staffing rotas, training records, meeting minutes, policies and procedures, environmental safety and information relating to the governance of the service.

Updated 1 May 2020

About the service

The Mount is a residential care home providing personal care to 18 people aged 18 and over at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to 19 people in one large adapted house and two separate adapted bungalows.

Services for people with learning disabilities and or autism are supported

The service was following the principles and values underpinning Registering the Right Support but had not been originally developed with these principles due to the size of the service.

The service is larger than recommended by best practice guidance. However, we have rated this service good because people were provided with person-centred care which greatly increased their independence and well-being. Staff worked with people to help them transition into independent living settings using two large adapted bungalows, which could accommodate up to eight people. The main building of the home was very large, and people had access to multiple living areas and enjoyed coming together in the large dining room for meals and activities.

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

People were happy and cared for by a dedicated staff team. Staff worked with people to support them to achieve their own ambitions. People were provided with choices around their care and had their needs assessed regularly.

The service was safe and appropriately adapted to meet the needs of people. Medicines were managed safely. Risks people may face were assessed and steps put in place to mitigate the risk. There was enough staff to safely support people.

Staff knew people very well and could tell us the level of support each person required. People were supported to maintain a healthy balanced diet and were provided with a range of options for meals. Staff worked with other agencies positively to make sure people received a continuous level of care.

Staff received regular training and were recruited safely. The registered manager supported the staff team with frequent supervisions. There were regular team meetings and resident meetings, where feedback was provided about areas to improve the service.

The quality and assurance systems in place were effective and allowed the registered manager to monitor and improve the quality of care provided to people.

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.

The service applied the principles and values of Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These ensure that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes that include control, choice and independence.

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.

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 4 August 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.