Meadow Acres

Updated 29 January 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

The inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Service and service type

Meadow Acres 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 about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with four members of staff including care workers and the registered manager. 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 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 looked at training data and additional management information such as business continuity plans and improvement plans. We spoke with two relatives of people who used the service to gather their views.

Updated 29 January 2020

Meadow Acres is registered with the Care Quality Commission as a care home without nursing. It provides care, support and accommodation for up to eight people who live with a learning disability. At the time of this inspection there were eight people using the service.

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 and what we found

People felt safe living in the home and their relatives told us that the service gave them “Peace of mind” for their relatives. There were processes in place to ensure that staff knew about how to protect people from abuse and where to escalate concerns if they needed to. There were systems in place to assess risks to people’s health and wellbeing which staff were aware of for each person.

Staff received training and development in order to be able to support people safely. Staff said that they had also been encouraged to undertake qualifications to develop them further in their roles. Some staff had received training specific to some of the conditions relevant to people who lived in the home.

There was a calm atmosphere in the home and staff responded to people in a kind and caring manner. Staff knew people well and were able to communicate with people individually based on their abilities. People had their privacy and dignity protected.

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.

People told us that they like the Registered Manager and found them approachable. People and their relatives said that they had their feedback listened to and felt involved in the service. There were systems in place which supported monitoring the quality of the service provided in order to drive improvement.

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 (report published 10 June 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.