Larkrise

Updated 12 February 2022

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.

As part of CQC’s response to care homes with outbreaks of COVID-19, we are conducting reviews to ensure that the Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) practice is safe and that services are compliant with IPC measures. This was a targeted inspection looking at the IPC practices the provider has in place. We also asked the provider about any staffing pressures the service was experiencing and whether this was having an impact on the service.

This inspection took place on 25 January 2022 and was announced. We gave the service two days’ notice of the inspection.

Updated 12 February 2022

About the service

Heathcotes (Larkrise) is a care home which provides accommodation for up to seven people with autism, some of whom have additional learning disabilities. People also had particular needs in relation to communication. At the time of our inspection there were seven people using the service. At the rear of the home there was a large garden, this contained a separate supported living setting known as Garden Cottage. Garden Cottage was equipped to accommodate one person with private access and garden area. Both the care home and supported living service were looked at as part of this inspection.

The service has been developed and designed in line with the principles and values that underpin Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. This ensures that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes. The principles reflect the need for people with learning disabilities and/or autism to live meaningful lives that include control, choice, and independence. People using the service receive planned and co-ordinated person-centred support that is appropriate and inclusive for them. The outcomes for people using the service reflected the principles and values of Registering the Right Support by promoting choice and control, independence and inclusion. People's support focused on them having as many opportunities as possible for them to gain new skills and become more independent.

The service was a large home, bigger than most domestic style properties. Although this was larger than current best practice guidance, the building design fitted into the residential area and the other large domestic homes of a similar size. There were no identifying signs, intercom, cameras, or anything else outside to indicate it was a care home. Staff did not wear anything that suggested they were care staff when coming and going with people.

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

People were well supported and cared for at Heathcotes (Larkrise). Comments from relatives and professionals were, without exception, positive and praised the registered manager and staff team for the way they cared for people and supported people to live life to the full.

Staff put people at the centre of their care. Every decision made or action taken centred around people’s needs and how staff could improve the quality of life for people. People received exceptional person-centred care and support which truly focused on people as individuals. People were encouraged to maintain links with family, and staff and relatives told us they valued the support this gave to people.

Staff knew people well and were able to use a range of communication methods to fully involve and engage with people in their everyday life including people’s health and wellbeing; leading to excellent outcomes. 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.

People were valued as individuals and staff worked with people to learn new skills, increase their independence and become more confident in everyday life. This meant people were able to achieve their goals and have a fulfilled life.

The design and layout of the environment was unique and really helped to support people’s individual needs and preferences. Staff used the space available to its full potential so people could get the maximum enjoyment and benefits from communal areas.

The registered manager and staff were dedicated in providing a service that put people first. Relatives spoke highly of the registered manager and how committed they were to providing high-quality care. Relatives told us they would absolutely recommend the service to other people and gave examples of how the registered manager and staff had gone above and beyond to create an outstanding service.

Staff knew how to keep people safe. They knew how to care for people and the risks people faced and received training and support to do this. The service learned from accidents and incidents and worked hard to make sure there was continuous improvement. Staff recruitment continued to be safe and there were enough staff to meet the needs of people. Staff knew how to give people their medicines safely.

The Secretary of State has asked the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to conduct a thematic review and to make recommendations about the use of restrictive interventions in settings that provide care for people with or who might have mental health problems, learning disabilities and/or autism. Thematic reviews look in-depth at specific issues concerning quality of care across the health and social care sectors. They expand our understanding of both good and poor practice and of the potential drivers of improvement.

As part of thematic review, we carried out a survey with the manager at this inspection. This considered whether the service used any restrictive intervention practices (restraint, seclusion and segregation) when supporting people.

The service used some restrictive intervention practices as a last resort, in a person-centred way, in line with positive behaviour support principles.

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 26 May 2016).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

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.