The Gables

Updated 25 June 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

Heathcotes The Gables 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.

A manager who was registered with the Care Quality Commission was employed in the home. 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

This was an unannounced inspection.

What we did before the inspection

Before the inspection, the registered provider completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the registered provider to give some key information about the home, what the home does well and improvements they plan to make. The registered provider returned the PIR and we took this into account when we made our judgements in this report.

We reviewed other information that we held about the home such as notifications. These are events that happen in the home that the registered provider is required to tell us about. We also had contact with commissioners who had a contract with the registered provider.

What we did during the inspection

We spoke with four people who lived in the home and observed how staff interacted with them. We also spoke with the registered manager, three of the care staff, an interim operational manager and a member of the registered provider’s quality assurance team.

We looked at the care records for three people, including medicine records, and we looked around the premises with one person who lived there. We also looked at records in relation to the management of the home such as quality assurance checks, staff training and recruitment, safeguarding information and accidents and incident information.

What we did following the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the registered manager to validate evidence found.

Updated 25 June 2019

About the service

Heathcotes The Gables is a care home situated in a suburb of Lincoln. The home can accommodate up to eight people who experience learning disabilities and/or autism.

The accommodation is made up of a main house which can accommodate six people and two single person flats on the same site. On the day of the inspection four people were living in the main house and two people were living in the flats.

People’s experience of using this service

Heathcotes The Gables had been designed and developed in line with the principles and values that underpin Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. The principles reflect the need for people with learning disabilities and/or autism to live meaningful lives that include control, choice and independence.

The home applied those principles and values and other best practice guidance. The outcomes for people reflected this. 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’s rights under the Mental Capacity Act (2005) were respected and upheld.

People told us they felt safe living at Heathcotes The Gables. Staff understood how to protect people from the risk of abuse and plans were in place to minimise any identified risks to people’s health and well-being. People received their medicines as required.

There were enough staff, who were well trained and supported, to make sure people received the care and support they needed in a personalised way. People had access to healthcare when they needed it and staff sought advice from specialist health services wherever it was appropriate. People were encouraged to have a balanced diet to help them stay healthy.

The registered manager and staff knew people well and treated them with care and respect. People were involved in planning and reviewing their care where they were able to be. Staff sought out opportunities for people to develop their life skills and independence.

Systems were in place to monitor the safety and quality of the services provided for people. The registered manager promoted an open and inclusive culture where people, and the staff who supported them, could express their views and opinions and be involved in the running of the home.

Why we inspected

This was the first planned inspection for Heathcotes The Gables following their registration in June 2018.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received, we may inspect sooner.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk