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.About the service
Knoll House is a residential care home and supported living service providing personal care and support services to autistic people, people with a learning disability and people with a mental health condition. The residential care home can accommodate up to nine people and the supported living apartments can accommodate up to eight people in one adapted building. At the time of our inspection five people were living in the residential care home. Eight people were living in the supported living apartments, however not everyone who used this service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also consider any wider social care provided.
Knoll House is also registered to provide domiciliary care in the community although at the time of this inspection no one was currently in receipt of this service.
The residential accommodation within the service included specialist flats for people living with complex needs in addition to 'moving on' flats. The moving on flats are designed to enable people to live more independently and prepare them for moving into their own accommodation. The supported living flats all have their own kitchen and laundry facilities to promote and enable people to live an independent life.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
Right Support
People had a choice about their living environment and were able to personalise their rooms and flats. The residential home was currently going through a refurbishment. People had been involved in choosing the colour scheme in the lounge and dining areas and one person told us how they had suggested additional pictures in the lounge.
People were supported to have the maximum possible choice, control and independence and they had control over their own lives. People chose how to spend their day and staff encouraged people to make their own decisions.
People were supported by staff to pursue their interests. One person told us about their interests and future goals. Another person told us about their college course, they were proud of their achievements.
Staff supported people with their medicines in a way that promoted their independence and achieved the best possible health outcome.
Staff communicated effectively with people. Staff told us how best to communicate with people and how to adapt our pace to enable people to participate fully in the conversation.
People played an active role in maintaining their own health and wellbeing. One person informed us why they intended on becoming fit and healthy. Staff actively encouraged people to take healthier food and drink options.
Right care
People received kind and compassionate care. Staff protected and respected people’s privacy and dignity. They understood and responded to their individual needs.
Staff understood how to protect people from poor care and abuse. The service worked well with other agencies to do so. Staff had training on how to recognise and report abuse and they knew how to apply it.
The service had enough appropriately skilled staff to meet people’s needs and keep them safe. Staff had been recruited safely and all relevant pre-employment checks had been taken.
People could communicate with staff and understand information given to them because staff supported them consistently and understood their individual communication needs. Documents were printed in easy read formats and each person had a communication passport.
People’s care, treatment and support plans reflected their range of needs and this promoted their wellbeing and enjoyment of life.
Staff and people cooperated to assess risks people might face. Where appropriate, staff encouraged and enabled people to take positive risks. People were actively involved in co-producing their own risk assessments.
Right culture
People could choose to have their relatives or significant others involved in the service. The registered manager told us they respected people's choice to involve others in the care and support provided.
People led inclusive and empowered lives because of the ethos, values, attitudes and behaviours of the management and staff. Staff told us their main reasons for working was to enable people to be independent and live fulfilling lives.
People received good quality care, support and treatment because trained staff and specialists could meet their needs and wishes.
Staff knew and understood people well and were responsive, supporting their aspirations to live a quality life of their choosing. Each person was supported by key working staff who worked with the person to review monthly goals and wellbeing.
People’s quality of life was enhanced by the service’s culture of improvement and inclusivity. People were actively encouraged to be involved in the community. The location of the home was within an easy walk of local amenities.
Staff ensured risks of a closed culture were minimised so that people received support based on transparency, respect and inclusivity. People were included in regular meetings and they were actively involved in reviews of support and care needs.
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 12 December 2019).
Why we inspected
We undertook this inspection to assess that the service is applying the principles of Right support Right care Right culture.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.