Archived: Clifton Cottage

Updated 12 February 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 conducted by one inspector.

Service and service type:

Clifton Cottage is a care home registered to accommodate up to seven people who need support with personal care. 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:

We did not give notice of our inspection.

What we did:

Before the inspection we reviewed the information we had received about the service, including previous inspection reports and notifications. Notifications are information about specific important events the service is legally required to send to us. We also considered information the provider sent us in the Provider Information Return. This is information we require providers to send us at least once annually to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

During the inspection we gathered information from:

• Five people using the service.

• Four people’s care records.

• The registered manager

• The deputy manager

• Three members of care staff

• Records of accidents, incidents and complaints

• Audits and quality assurance reports

Following the inspection, we gathered information from:

• Three relatives of people using the service

• One external healthcare professional

Updated 12 February 2019

About the service:

Clifton Cottage 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. Clifton Cottage is registered to provide accommodation and personal care for up to seven people and predominantly supports people living with a learning disability, autism and dementia. At the time of the inspection there were seven people living at the service.

Best practice guidelines recommend supporting people living with a learning disability in settings that accommodate less than six people. Clifton Cottage supports up to seven people, therefore the service model was not fully aligned to the principles set out in Registering the Right Support. However, the outcomes for people using the service reflected the principles and values of Registering the Right Support including; choice, promotion of independence and inclusion. People's support was focused on them having as many opportunities as possible, to have new experiences and to maintain their skills and independence.

People’s experience of using this service:

• People were happy living at Clifton Cottage. There was an established staff team that knew people well. One person told us, “They [staff] always help me if they need if I need it, they are really kind.”

• Quality assurance processes were robust and risks to people and the environment were managed safely. The service was clean and infection control audits ensured that cleaning tasks were maintained and any issues were identified quickly.

• Staff recognised people’s individual needs and supported them to make choices in line with legislation.

• Care plans were detailed and person centred. People were involved in deciding how they wished to be supported and in reviewing their care plans when needed. Information was available in a format they could understand.

• Staff were kind, patient and responsive to people's needs. People were treated with dignity and staff respected their privacy.

• Staff were well trained and received regular supervision to help develop their skills and support them in their role.

Rating at last inspection:

The service was rated as Good at the last full comprehensive inspection, the report for which was published on 2 June 2016.

Why we inspected:

This was a planned inspection based on the previous inspection rating.