Rawleigh House

Updated 15 July 2023

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 Health and Social Care Act 2008.

As part of this inspection we looked at the infection control and prevention measures in place. This was conducted so we can understand the preparedness of the service in preventing or managing an infection outbreak, and to identify good practice we can share with other services.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by 1 inspector.

Service and service type

Rawleigh House is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing and/or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement dependent on their registration with us. Rawleigh House is a care home without nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

Inspection activity started on 29 June 2023 and ended on 4 July 2023. We visited the service on 29 June 2023.

What we did before 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 (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke and interacted with all 5 people who lived at the service and 3 relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with and received written feedback from 8 members of staff including the registered manager, senior support workers, personal assistants and support workers. We received written feedback from 1 health professional.

We reviewed a range of records. This included 3 people’s risk assessments and multiple medication records. We looked at 3 staff files in relation to recruitment. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

Updated 15 July 2023

About the service

Rawleigh House is a residential care home for up to 6 people who are autistic and / or who have a learning disability. The home is laid out over 3 floors with stairs and a lift for accessibility. At the time of the inspection there were 5 people living there.

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

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices and independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ is the guidance CQC follows to make assessments and judgements about services supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people and providers must have regard to it.

Right Support:

Risks to people were assessed and regularly reviewed. People told us they felt safe and happy at the home. Relatives and a health professional agreed. People looked happy and content when spending time with staff. A familiar and consistent group of care staff meant they knew people well. Although agency staff were sometimes required to cover sickness these staff had a good understanding of people’s needs.

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.

Right Care:

Staff understood how to protect people from poor care and abuse. A health professional commented positively about the care people received and the way in which staff interacted with them. People received their medicines on time and had annual health reviews. People could communicate with staff and understand information given to them because staff supported them consistently and understood their individual communication needs.

Right Culture:

There was an open and supportive culture at the home. Staff told us they felt supported and encouraged to take on new skills and qualifications. Relatives were encouraged to provide their views on the care family members received and felt listened to. The registered manager was held in high regard by relatives and staff. They also had a good rapport with the people living at Rawleigh House. The home worked well with other organisations and recognised the benefits to people of establishing and maintaining links with the wider community.

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 6 September 2018).

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service. As a result, we undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of safe and well-led only.

We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.

For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating.

The overall rating for the service has remained good based on the findings of this inspection.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Rawleigh House on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.