We carried out a review of the data available to us about The Old Vicarage on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about The Old Vicarage, you can give feedback on this service.
The Old Vicarage is registered to provide accommodation and personal care for up to 7 people with a learning disability and people with autism. At the time of the inspection, there were 7 people living in the home.
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. We considered this guidance as there were people using the service who have a learning disability and/or autistic people.
Right Support:
People at the Old Vicarage were placed at the heart of the service. There was a strong person-centred culture that encouraged people to make decisions about their life. Safe recruitment practices were followed, and people were supported by staff who knew them well. People's religious, cultural and personal diversity were recognised by the service, with their care plans outlining their backgrounds and beliefs.
The outcomes for people using the service reflected the principles and values of 'Right support, right care, right culture' in the promotion of choice, control, independence and inclusion. People were supported to have choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests. Activities were individualised to suit people's personal preferences and staff actively encouraged and supported people to achieve their goals and aspirations.
Right Care:
People consistently told us they felt safe and well cared for and relatives corroborated this. Staff were kind, caring and compassionate. People and their relatives were included in decisions about their care and support. People's individual preferences were acknowledged, and people were encouraged and supported to personalise their rooms. The environment care was clean and well-maintained.
Right Culture:
People's quality of life was enhanced by the service's culture of improvement and inclusivity. The registered manager and staff had established a strong and visible person-centred culture in the service through their ‘Positive Culture Pledge’ and all staff we spoke with were fully supportive of this.
People and staff were consistently complimentary of the registered manager and the way the service was run. Staff told us the management team were very knowledgeable, inspired a caring approach and led by example. Feedback from people, staff, professionals and relatives was sought in order to continuously drive improvements and develop the ongoing delivery of care and support people received.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection and update
The last rating for this service was good (published 15 October 2018).
Why we inspected
We undertook this inspection as part of a random selection of services rated Good and Outstanding.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.
The Old Vicarage is a care home for up to 7 people. At the time of this inspection there were 3 people living at the 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 Old Vicarage consists of one building with self-contained flats, communal areas and garden tailored to support adults and young adults with complex needs including autism spectrum conditions and learning disabilities.
This was the first time we inspected this service since it was registered in September 2017.
On the day of our inspection a registered manager was in place. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are 'registered persons'. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.
The provider considered people’s mental capacity when making decisions about their health and care, however, some mental capacity assessments were not decisions specific and some best interest decisions did not evidence how family had been involved in making relevant decisions. We made a recommendation to the registered manager to make improvements in how they were recording this information.
People told us they felt safe using the service and relatives corroborated this. Safeguarding procedures were in place and staff knew what to do if safeguarding concerns were identified.
People’s medicines were managed safely.
There were assessments in place that identified relevant risks to people and management plans to reduce these risks were in place to ensure people's safety. There were sufficient staff to meet people’s needs and provide a flexible service.
People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible.
People’s needs in relation to the protected characteristics under the Equalities Act 2010, were considered in the planning of their care. People's communication needs were assessed and staff adapted their communication methods to better meet people’s needs, for example, using simple questions or pictures.
People were supported to prepare and eat a balanced diet that met their individual dietary needs. They were supported to access healthcare services to maintain their health.
Staff were supported through a comprehensive induction, regular supervision and annual appraisals. People were supported by staff who had attended regular and relevant training.
Staff had a good understanding of infection control procedures and used personal protective clothing when required to prevent the spread of infection.
People and their relatives told us staff were kind and caring and their privacy and dignity was respected by staff.
Staff told us they felt supported by the management team and the team communicated regularly and effectively. The provider had monitoring systems that enable them to identify good practice and areas for improvement.
People lived in a service which had been designed and adapted to meet their needs and there were governance systems in place to maintain the quality and safety of the service.