Archived: Valentines Way

Updated 3 September 2021

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.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Service and service type

Valentines Way is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a 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 is not required to have a registered manager in place as it is managed by an individual who is registered as the sole provider.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority who work with the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with three people who used the service about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with four members of staff including the provider, business manager and two support workers. We observed how staff interacted with and supported people.

We reviewed a range of records. This included multiple medication records. We looked at two staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service were reviewed.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at training data and quality assurance records, two people’s care records and a variety of policies and procedures.

Updated 3 September 2021

About the service

Valentines Way is a residential care home who were providing support with personal care to four people with learning disabilities or on the autistic spectrum at the time of the inspection. The service can support a maximum of four people. Each person has their own bedroom, and other facilities are shared.

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

Systems were in place to protect people from the risk of abuse. Risk assessments had been carried out to identify the risks people faced. These included information about how to mitigate those risks. Steps had been taken to help ensure the physical environment was safe. There were enough staff working at the service to meet people’s needs and the provider had robust staff recruitment practices in place. Medicines were mostly managed in a safe way. Infection control and prevention systems were in place. Accidents and incidents were reviewed to see if any lessons could be learnt from them.

Assessments were carried out of people’s needs prior to the provision of care to determine if their needs could be met at the service. Staff were supported through training and supervision to gain knowledge and skills to help them in their role. People were supported to eat a balanced diet and were able to choose what they ate. The premises were clean and well maintained. People had access to health care professionals.

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 told us staff were caring and that they were treated with respect. Staff understood how to support people in a way that promoted their privacy, independence and dignity. The service sought to meet people's needs in relation to equality and diversity.

Care plans were in place for people, which set out how to meet their needs in a person-centred way. Information was provided to people in a way that was accessible to them. Systems were in place for dealing with complaints, although the provider told us there had not been any complaints in the past year. People had been unable to participate in some of their preferred community-based activities due to government restrictions related to COVID-19. However, they had been supported to engage in a variety of in-house activities, and community-based activities were beginning to re-commence.

Quality assurance and monitoring systems were in place to help drive improvements at the service. People and staff told us there was an open and positive culture at the service. People were supported to express their views. The provider was aware of their legal obligations, and worked with other agencies to develop best practice and share knowledge.

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.

The service was able to demonstrate how they were meeting the underpinning principles of Right support, right care, right culture. The model of care and the setting maximised people's choice, control and independence. Care was person-centred and promoted people's dignity, privacy and human rights. The ethos, values, attitudes and behaviours of leaders and care staff ensured people using services lead confident, inclusive and empowered lives.

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 12 November 2018).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.

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.