Background to this inspection
Updated
3 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:
Apna House 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. The registered manager is also the registered provider and they 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 the operations manager who is the nominated individual. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider. We spoke with the registered manager, the deputy manager, three support staff and the cook. We spoke with four people who lived at the home and we also received information from one healthcare professional and one external fire service advisor by email following the inspection. We looked at two people’s care records to see how their care and support was planned and delivered. We also looked at medicine records, two staff recruitment files, the staff training matrix and the provider’s quality monitoring systems.
Updated
3 August 2019
About the service:
Apna House is a residential care home providing personal care and accommodation for up to 13 people who live with mental health needs, autism or a learning disability. At the time of the inspection, Apna House accommodated 12 people.
The service was a large home, bigger than most domestic style properties. It was registered for the support of up to 13 people. This is larger than current best practice guidance. However. the size of the service having a negative impact on people was mitigated by the building design fitting into the residential area and the other large domestic homes of a similar size. There were deliberately no identifying signs, cameras, industrial bins or anything else outside to indicate it was a care home.
People’s experience of using this service:
People told us they felt safe with the support of staff. Risks to people had been assessed and staff had a good understanding of these risks and how to minimise them.
Where required people were supported to receive their medication as prescribed and staff demonstrated a good knowledge of types and signs of abuse and how to report concerns of abuse.
People were supported by staff who had the skills to meet their needs. People were able to consent to their care and we saw staff understood the importance of seeking consent before providing support.
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’s nutritional needs were met, and people were happy with the support they received to enjoy a choice of meals. People were supported to access healthcare professionals when required.
The provider had systems in place to identify and support people's protected characteristics from potential discrimination. Protected characteristics are the nine groups protected under the Equality Act 2010. They include, age, disability, race, religion or belief etc. Staff members we spoke with knew people well, they could tell us about people’s individual needs and how they were supported.
People we spoke with told us they liked the staff that supported them, and we saw people were comfortable around staff. People’s privacy and dignity was respected, and their independence was maintained and encouraged.
People benefited from receiving care and support from a stable staff group which enabled continuity of care. The service supported and employed a number of people of Asian heritage. This meant that staff could communicate with people in their preferred language.
People were involved in their care and their needs were assessed and reviewed on a regular basis. People’s care records were person centred and guided staff on the way they preferred their care and support to be provided.
People told us they felt able to speak to staff with any concerns. The service had not received written complaints; however, the provider had a system in place to ensure any complaints received would be logged, investigated and responded to and any learning used to improve the service provided.
The management team had systems in place to monitor the quality of the service that they provided and looked to develop the service further. People told us they liked the registered manager and staff spoke positively about the service and said it was well managed.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection:
At the last inspection we rated Apna House as ‘Good’ (report published on 11 January 2017).
Why we inspected:
This was a planned inspection which took place on 11 July 2019.
Follow up: We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received, we may inspect sooner.