Autumn Leaf House

Updated 3 February 2022

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. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

As part of this inspection we looked at the infection control and prevention measures in place. This was conducted so we can understand the preparedness of the service in preventing or managing an infection outbreak, and to identify good practice we can share with other services.

Inspection team

Two inspectors undertook the inspection.

Service and service type

Autumn Leaf 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. This meant both 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

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We looked at the information we held about the service and used this to help us plan our inspection. We also considered the Provider Information Return (PIR). This 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. This information helps support our inspections. We also gathered feedback from local authorities who fund some of the care provided. We used all of this information to plan our inspection .

During the inspection

We spoke with one person who used the service about their experience of the care provided. Due to their complex needs some people were unable or chose not to talk with us about the care they received, or the quality of the service provided. Therefore, we used other methods to understand what it was like to live at Autumn Leaf House. This included observing how staff supported people to help us understand people's experiences of living at the home. We spoke with nine members of staff including the registered manager, the regional assistant director, one senior support worker, five support workers and the administrator.

We reviewed a range of records. This included three people's care records and medication records. We reviewed a range of records relating to the management of the service which included completed audits and checks and staff rotas.

After the inspection

One person sent us a letter to share their experiences of the service. We gathered feedback via the telephone from one person’s relative. We received some further information about the service from the registered manager and we met with them to gain assurance staff working at the service had been recruited safely.

Updated 3 February 2022

About the service

Autumn Leaf House is a residential care home providing personal care and accommodation in one adapted building for up to eight younger people with learning disabilities and autism. Eight people lived at the home at the time of our inspection.

People's experience of using this service and what we found

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee autistic people and people with a learning disability the choices, dignity, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. Right Support, right care, right culture is the statutory guidance which supports CQC to make assessments and judgements about services providing support to people with a learning disability and/or autistic people.

Based on our review of the safe, responsive and well-led key questions the service was able to demonstrate how they were meeting the underpinning principles of Right support, right care, right culture.

Whilst we were not assured the provider was using PPE effectively and safely risks associated with people's care and support continued to be assessed and well managed. Staff knew how to manage risks associated with people’s care and what they needed to do in the event of an emergency such as a fire to keep people and themselves safe. The management of medicines continued to be safe.

People received personalised and responsive care. When possible, people had been involved in planning and reviewing their care. The providers approach to care planning was outcome focussed and people achieved good outcomes. Care records contained detailed and up to date information to help staff provide the care and support people needed in line with their wishes.

People were supported to maintain relationships that were important to them which had a positive impact on their lives. People followed their chosen religions and were supported to embrace their cultural traditions.

People continued to feel safe living at the service and safeguarding systems protected people from harm or abuse. Staff were recruited safely, and enough staff were on duty during our visit to provide safe care. The recruitment of new staff was ongoing. As a temporary measure some agency staff, who knew people well, worked at the home.

The registered manager demonstrated a good understanding of their role and regulatory requirements. No complaints had been received about the service since our last inspection and lessons were learned when things went wrong.

Staff spoke positively about the culture of the service and morale. The provider demonstrated commitment to sustaining a positive organisational culture to benefit people and their staff.

Effective quality assurance systems ensured people continued to receive high quality, safe care. People and their relatives had opportunities to share their views about the service they received. The management team worked with other organisations including social workers and health professionals to benefit people.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

The last rating for this service was good (published 05 December 2019).

Why we inspected

The inspection was prompted in part due to concerns received about low staffing levels. A decision was made for us to inspect and examine those risks. We found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm from this concern.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our reinspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.