- Homecare service
April Lodge
Report from 26 February 2024 assessment
Contents
Ratings
Our view of the service
An assessment has been undertaken of a specialist service that is used by autistic people or people with a learning disability. We expect health and social care providers to guarantee autistic people and people with a learning disability 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. April Lodge provides care and support to people living in their own home. Not everyone using April Lodge receives regulated activity; the CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with ‘personal care’; help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do, we also take into account any wider social care provided. At the time of this inspection there were 2 people at the service who were receiving a regulated activity. We carried out our on-site assessment on 4 March 2024, off site activity started on 27 February 2024 and ended on 09 April 2024. We looked at 12 quality statements; Learning culture; Safeguarding; Involving people to manage risks; Safe and effective staffing; Infection Control; Assessing needs; Consent to care and treatment; Independence, choice and control; Equity in experiences and outcomes; Governance, management and sustainability; Freedom to speak up and Capable, compassionate and inclusive leaders. We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because we wanted to make sure someone would be available to support us with the inspection.
People's experience of this service
The model of care and setting maximised people’s choice, control and independence. Feedback from people and relatives who worked closely with the service was positive. People told us they felt safe and were well cared for by a consistent team. However, information relating to people’s individual risks was not always recorded, up-to-date or did not provide enough detail as to how identified risks should be managed and mitigated. Care plans did not contain enough information to promote people's dignity, privacy and human rights or to ensure staff knew how to deliver appropriate person-centred care. This was a breach of regulation.