Platinum Care Services

Updated 11 October 2018

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This comprehensive inspection took place on 10 September 2018 and was unannounced. The inspection team consisted of two inspectors. We agreed with the registered manager to return on 14 September 2018 to complete the inspection when the inspection team consisted of one inspector.

When planning our inspection, we looked at information we held about the service. This included notifications received from the provider about deaths, accidents/incidents and safeguarding alerts which they are required to send us by law. Before the inspection, the provider completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We also contacted the local authority and commissioners of people’s care who purchase the care on behalf of people to ask them for information about the service.

During our inspection we met with all of the people living at Raymond Avenue. We also saw how staff supported people throughout the inspection to help us understand peoples’ experiences of living at the home.

We spoke with the registered manager, the operations manager, the nominated individual and three staff. We spoke with two relatives of people and three professionals who were visiting the service during our inspection. We looked at a range of records. This included three people’s care plans, two people’s medicine records, two staff recruitment records and quality assurance systems that were in place.

Updated 11 October 2018

Raymond Avenue is a ‘care home’ for eight people with learning disabilities and/or autism. There were eight people living in the home when we visited. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.The Care Service has been developed and designed in line with the values that underpin the Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These values include choice, promotion of independence and inclusion.

At our last inspection in December 2015 we rated the service as ‘good’. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

People told us and we observed that they were happy about living in the home. Relatives and healthcare professionals were equally positive. One relative told us, “They [the staff] know [person’s name] as well as I do.” One healthcare professional told us, “The staff are experienced in managing complex service users based on their care needs. The team always act upon any issues I raise.”

Staff had a shared understanding of people’s needs and were motivated by their work. One member of staff told us, “The staff work well as a team here; they are motivated. Caring is done for the support you give and not for the financial reward. I would place a family member here.”

Staff had a good understanding of how to protect people from abuse and risks and worked well as a team to help people with behaviours that can be challenging to others. People’s medicines were managed so that they receive them safely and on time.

There was sufficient staff to ensure people were safe and the staff team were recruited safely and trained to ensure they were suitable and had the right skills to meet people’s needs. People were treated with respect and were encouraged to become as independent as possible, as well as accessing the local community on a daily basis.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. People were encouraged to take part in making decisions about how the house was run.

The registered manager and senior managers knew people’s needs and this enabled them to offer the right support, guidance and resources to the staff team. Managers reflected on lessons learnt when things went wrong and took prompt action to implement new plans and support for people.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.