8 August 2019
During a routine inspection
Swan House is a residential care home providing personal care to people with learning and/or physical disabilities. The service can support up to six people but at the time of the inspection, five people were using the service.
The care home accommodates people in one adapted bungalow.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People using the service at the time of the inspection could not tell us about their experiences of using the service. However, we observed positive interactions between people and staff and people looked comfortable with the way they were being supported.
Relatives gave us consistently good feedback on the service and, the way the staff team had ensured people could stay in the home even when their needs changed. A typical comment was, “My relative had a massive stroke last year and I was so pleased he could stay here rather than having to go to another home.”
There were enough suitably qualified and experienced staff on duty to meet people’s needs and to keep people safe. People received their medication at the right time and were supported by staff who knew them well and how to keep them safe.
The staff had worked well with external health professionals to ensure people received effective care which maintained or improved their health. Staff received training which helped them to deliver effective and personalised care.
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.
The service applied the principles and values of Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These ensure that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes that include control, choice and independence.
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.
Relatives and staff were happy with the way the service was being led and there was a clear culture amongst the staff team in providing high quality person-centred care. Audits and checks were carried out in the home to ensure standards of care were maintained.
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 registered 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 11 January 2017).
Why we inspected
This inspection was planned as part of our inspection programme.
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.