Read House

Read House is a residential care home providing accommodation with personal care to up to 40 people. The service provides support to people with a physical disability, sensory impairment and those living with dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 35 people using the service.

People’s experience of the service and what we found

Checks were carried out as part of staff recruitment, but some improvements were required. We have made a recommendation about recruitment practice. The provider learned lessons and took effective action when things went wrong. Medicines were given safely and as prescribed. People were safeguarded and protected from the risk of avoidable harm. Staff demonstrated good infection prevention and control practice. There were sufficient staff to provide responsive and unhurried care.

People received an assessment when they joined the service, to support the development of a care plan. We received positive feedback from people who felt welcomed and secure when moving into Read House. The service worked well with other professionals to support people to live healthy lives. Staff received training, supervisions, and appraisals to support their continued professional development. There was a pleasant dining experience with choice promoted. The provider had invested significantly in a whole home renovation, which had begun at the time of inspection.

Staff were caring, compassionate and kind. We saw respectful and empathetic staff practice, which was also demonstrated in care records. People’s independence, privacy and dignity was understood and promoted. People could share their views and opinion on how they wished to be supported. There was an awareness of people’s protected equality and diversity characteristics.

Care was planned in a way which suited individuals, including a ‘resident of the day’ scheme to ensure people’s preferences and choices were met. There was a clear system for complaints, and the service had received a number of compliments. People could access a wide range of meaningful social and leisure activities both inside Read House and in the local community. The Accessible Information Standard was met. People received dignified end of life care.

Since the last inspection, a new provider had taken over ownership of the service. A new manager had also just come into post 3 days before our inspection began. Despite this, there were effective processes and systems in place for quality assurance. Leaders were committed to the continuous development and improvement of Read House. There was a positive and open culture, and leaders were approachable. A relative told us, “We met the owners, and they were very welcoming.” The service worked well in partnership with other stakeholders.

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.

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 the service under the previous provider was Good, published on 14 December 2020.

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

Recommendations

We have made a recommendation about recruitment practice.

Follow up

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