Jemini Place

Updated 9 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.

As part of this inspection we looked at the infection control and prevention measures in place. This was conducted so we can understand the preparedness of the service in preventing or managing an infection outbreak, and to identify good practice we can share with other services.

This was the first inspection of the service.

Inspection team

There was one inspector.

Service and service type

Jemini Place 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 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 24 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because the service is small, and the person is often out, and we wanted to be sure there would be at home to speak with us.

What we did before the inspection

The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report.

We reviewed the information we held about the service and the service provider. We looked at notifications we had received for this service. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. Notifications are information about important events the service is required to send us by law. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with the person living at Jemini Place and observed staff interactions with the person. We spoke with the registered manager, the home manager, the training manager, two staff members and a further two staff members briefly.

We reviewed a range of records. This included the person’s care plan and medicine records. We looked at one staff file in relation to recruitment. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including audits and health and safety files were also reviewed.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at staff rotas, training records and quality assurance records. We received feedback from one health and social care professional.

Updated 9 September 2021

About the service

Jemini Place is a residential care home providing accommodation and personal care for one autistic person at the time of inspection. The service can support up to six people. There were two bedrooms on the ground floor that had been adapted to become one unit comprising a bedroom and a kitchen/diner. There were four bedrooms on the first floor, and they were unoccupied at the time of inspection.

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

Jemini Place was clean and tidy throughout. Some staff wore fabric masks. When we highlighted that this was not in line with government guidance this was rectified immediately and the home’s infection, prevention and control policy was updated. Enhanced cleaning had been instigated as a result of the pandemic, staff had received additional training and the service had a visiting procedure that complied with government guidance.

There was a very large staff team in use for one person and staff worked across two different settings. This was not ideal and there was an ongoing recruitment programme. The person needed staff who knew them well and it was not considered appropriate to use agency staff. To mitigate this risk until enough staff were recruited, all staff were tested daily and meetings were held to ensure staff were consistent in their support of the person.

The person was protected from the risks of harm, abuse or discrimination because staff knew how to recognise and respond to any possible abuse. Recruitment practice was thorough and ensured only suitable staff worked at the service. There were suitable arrangements to respond to any risk to the person and to provide the person with their prescribed medicines.

There was a positive culture at the service and the registered manager and home manager worked closely with staff to ensure the person was supported appropriately and safely. There was a clear management structure and staff knew their individual roles and responsibilities.

The person was supported to have maximum choice and control of their life 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.

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.

Right support:

• We were told that where the person used to live, they did not like having to wait to use the bathroom or kitchen and that they were very sensitive to the noises generated from communal living. Since moving to Jemini Place and having their own bathroom and kitchen this had a very positive impact on their wellbeing. They told us they were happy at Jemini Place. Where they lived previously, they had three to one staff support. This had been reassessed and reduced to two to one staff support.

Right care:

• Care was person-centred and based on what the person wanted to do each day. Although they had two to one staffing, it was recognised that they needed space to be on their own at times, to use the bathroom and to spend quiet time in their bedroom. There was advice and guidance in the person’s care plan about how to support the person and to recognise the times when they might need reassurance and how to provide this.

Right culture:

• When staff came on duty, the person enjoyed selecting the staff photos and placing them on a board. There was clear advice that when handovers were carried out and therefore additional staff on the premises, this should not increase noise levels, so the person continued to feel safe and secure. There were pictures of the person doing the activities they liked to do. Each day staff gave them a choice of two of the activities. This was in addition to a wide variety of home-based activities. Staff told us that the registered manager was approachable and easy to speak with and there were regular opportunities to share their views about Jemini Place either in individual supervision or at staff meetings.

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 10/10/2018 and became dormant on 12/03/2019. The service became operational again in January 2021 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection as the service had not had an inspection since it was first registered and was now operational again.

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.

We found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm from this concern.

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.