13 July 2023
During an inspection looking at part of the service
Low Lane House is a residential care home providing accommodation and personal care for up to six young adults with a learning disability and/or autism. At the time of the inspection there were six people living there. The home has communal lounges and dining areas. Each person has their own bedroom with ensuite facilities.
We expect health and social care providers to guarantee people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices and independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. 'Right support, right care, right culture' is the guidance CQC follows to make assessments and judgements about services supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people and providers must have regard to it.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
Right Support: People were supported by staff who understood their care and support needs. Risks in relation to people’s care and support were assessed and guidance was in place to assist staff with keeping people safe. Plans were personalised for each person and identified how staff should support the person with communicating their needs or when experiencing distress.
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.
There were sufficient staff to meet people’s identified hours of support, and this supported people to access activities both socially and within their home. Medicines were managed safely. Robust infection control measures were in place, people were supported by staff to keep their home safe and clean.
Right Care: Care was person-centred and promoted people’s dignity, privacy, and human rights. Staff showed people kindness and respect during our visits. We observed people interacting positively with staff and seeking support when needed. People were supported to access healthcare services and were supported to eat and drink enough. People were supported by staff to plan their week and access opportunities and activities of their choice.
Relatives spoke positively about the care and support their loved ones received. They told us communication could be improved. This was fedback to the provider who acknowledged this was an area they would seek to improve.
Staff received training on how to recognise and report abuse and said they would feel comfortable raising any concerns with management. People were protected by the provider's recruitment processes. Appropriate checks were completed by the service, ensuring staff were suitable to work with people.
The design and the decoration of the building was adapted to meet people’s needs. Rooms were personalised in line with people’s wishes.
Right Culture: The service was currently being supported by the deputy manager and the area manager. They had recently completed workshops with staff on workplace culture, values, and attitudes to promote a positive culture amongst the staff team.
Staff valued the support from the deputy and area manager, which helped to maintain their wellbeing and positive attitude to supporting people living at the service.
There were systems in place to monitor the quality of service provided and identify improvements. Where audits had identified improvements, these were recorded in the home action plan. The deputy manager and area manager were open and transparent regarding areas they had identified as requiring improvement and the actions they had taken to address them.
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 requires improvement (published 27 June 2022).
At the inspection completed 26 October 2021 there was a breach of regulation. The provider completed an action plan after the inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve. At the inspection on 27 June 2022, we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulation. However, the service was rated as requires improvement to ensure continued improvements were made and sustained. At this inspection the provider had made the necessary improvements. The service is now rated good.
Why we inspected
We undertook this focused inspection to check they had embedded and sustained the necessary improvements.
The inspection was prompted in part due to concerns received about medicines, staffing, management, and governance. A decision was made for us to inspect and examine those risks.
We found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm from these concerns. The concerns raised had been addressed and the provider had taken action to mitigate the risks which had been effective.
This report only covers our findings in relation to the Key Questions Safe, Effective and Well-led.
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.
For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating. The overall rating for the service has changed from requires improvement to good. This is based on the findings at this inspection.
You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the 'all reports' link for Low Lane House on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.