Archived: The Vines

Updated 31 October 2019

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. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Service and service type

The Vines is a ‘care 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 service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be available to support the inspection. The inspection was completed in one day.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. This included checking incidents the provider must notify us about, such as serious injuries and abuse. We sought feedback from the local authority, Healthwatch and professionals who work with the service. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England. 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 this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection we spoke with one person who used the service and two relatives and asked them about the quality of the care provided to them or their family members. We spoke with three care staff and the registered manager.

We reviewed a range of records. This included all or parts of records relating to the care of four people as well a range of staff files. We also viewed training and supervision records and records relating to the safety and management of the service.

After the inspection

We asked the registered manager to provide us with a variety of policies and procedures and additional information. All information was sent within the required timeframe. We used all this information to help form our judgements detailed within this report.

Updated 31 October 2019

About the service

The Vines is a residential care home which provides respite accommodation for up to four people who require nursing or personal care. At the time of the inspection two people were staying at the home.

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.

People’s experience of using this service:

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

People received care that reduced the risk to their safety. This included staff supporting people and others when presented with behaviours that may challenge. Where incidents occurred that could affect people’s safety, the relevant authorities were always notified. There were enough staff to care for people safely and safe medicine practices were followed. The home was free from the risk of infection. All staff were involved in the process of learning from mistakes with the aim to continually improve the quality of care people received.

People received care in line with their assessed needs. Staff training was up to date and staff received supervision of their practice. People received the care they needed to maintain a healthy diet during their stay. People had access to other health and social care agencies if needed, although due to this being a respite service, these instances were rare. An extensive renovation programme was planned for January 2020 to ensure the home was adapted and improved to continue to meet people’s needs. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People and relatives liked the staff. They provided people with a welcoming environment when they came to stay, giving relatives peace of mind that their family member was safe and well cared for. People were treated with dignity and respect. People’s independence was always encouraged, working with staff to overcome their physical disabilities. People were supported to make decisions about their care. People and relatives felt listened to and staff respected and acted on their views. People’s records were stored securely and handled appropriately to protect their privacy.

People’s care records were person-centred and contained guidance for staff to support them in their preferred way. Efforts had been made to provide people with information in formats they could understand. People were supported to lead active lives when they came to stay. A robust complaints process was in place. End of life care was not currently provided.

The registered manager led by example and empowered their staff to provide high quality care and support. Exceptional staff performance was rewarded. Quality assurance processes helped the provider and the registered manager to identify and act on areas which could pose a risk to people’s safety. The registered manager had a good knowledge of the regulatory requirement to report concerns to the CQC. People, relatives and staff praised the approach of the registered manager, they found her to be supportive and approachable.

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: This service was registered with us on 4 May 2018 and this is the first inspection.

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.