27 January 2022
During a routine inspection
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.