Longdown Road

Updated 26 March 2022

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.

Inspection team

Two inspectors visited the home. An Expert by Experience made telephone calls to people's relatives to hear their feedback. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

Longdown Road 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

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service, including notifications of significant incidents. We asked the local authority for feedback about the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). 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.

During the inspection

We spoke with two people who used the service about their experience of the care provided. We observed those who were unable to talk with us and who used body language to communicate. We also observed staff providing support to people. We spoke with five members of staff including the registered manager, a senior service manager and three care staff.

We reviewed a range of records. This included four people’s care records and two medication records. We looked at five staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures 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, as well as a variety of records relating to the management of the service. We spoke with three family members and received feedback from two healthcare professionals.

Updated 26 March 2022

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.

About the service

Longdown Road provides accommodation and personal care for up to 10 people, who have a learning disability and autism. At the time of our inspection, there were seven people living at the service.

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

The service was not able to demonstrate how they were meeting some of the underpinning principles of Right support, right care, right culture.

Right Support: The model of care did not always maximise people’s choice, control and independence. People were not always encouraged to develop their skills and independence. Staff did not always provide support that enabled people to lead fulfilling lives.

Right Care: The model of support did not always promote maximum choice and independence. People’s care was not always person-centred and staff did not always ensure that people led confident inclusive and empowered lives. At other times we found that staff took time to make sure people were enjoying what they were doing. People had access to healthcare professionals and were supported by staff to attend appointments.

Right culture: Although family members told us their relative was safe and happy living at Longdown road, staff did not always recognise how to promote people's rights, choice or independence. This meant people’s care was not always personalised and centred around the individual. Quality assurance processes were not always effective in developing the service to make sure people had choices and were fully involved in their making decisions regarding what they wanted to do and who they would like to live with.

People were not always given the opportunity to take part in meaningful social and leisure interests. Staff did not always employ people’s preferred form of communication and there was limited information available in accessible forms to people. However, we observed positive interactions between staff and those whom they supported and feedback from family members and healthcare professionals was positive.

The provider did not act in a timely way to address non-compliance issues identified regarding gas, Legionella and fire safety matters. They did not act on recommendations to improve the interior of the building made by an independent health and safety assessor. However, we found that people received safe care from staff knew how to safeguard them. Medicines were managed well and infection prevention control procedures were being followed by staff in line with government guidance. Accidents and incidents were analysed and managed appropriately to minimise future incidents.

Quality assurance systems were not robust and the provider did not take timely action with regards to outstanding health and safety issues. However, staff told us they felt supported by the registered manager and family members and healthcare professionals spoke positively about the level of engagement they had with the service.

The service worked well with healthcare professionals to ensure good outcomes for people. The management team were working with social care professionals to ensure capacity assessments were being completed correctly. Staff received adequate training relevant to the needs of the people they supported. However, we found the fabric of the building was in a poor decorative and repair state. We have made a recommendation that the provider acts to ensure improvements are made to the environment.

We observed that people were relaxed and confident in the presence of staff and Those who could told us they enjoyed living at Longdown road. Staff spoke kindly with people and were respectful of their privacy and dignity.

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

Rating at last inspection

This was the first inspection since the service registered with us on 1 December 2020. The last rating for the service under the previous provider was Good, published on 21 December 2018.

Why we inspected

We undertook this inspection to assess that the service is applying the principles of Right support right care right culture.

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.

Enforcement and Recommendations

We are mindful of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our regulatory function. This meant we took account of the exceptional circumstances arising as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic when considering what enforcement action was necessary and proportionate to keep people safe as a result of this inspection. We will continue to monitor the service and will take further action if needed.

We have identified breaches in relation to person-centred care, premises and equipment and the governance of the service.

Please see the actions we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.

Follow up

We will request an action plan from the provider to understand what they will do to improve the standards of quality and safety. We will work alongside the provider and local authority to monitor progress. We will return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.