Mill Road

Updated 21 June 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

Our inspection was completed by two inspectors and an Expert by Experience. 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

This service provides care and support to people living in a ‘supported living’ setting, so that they can live as independently as possible. People’s care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. CQC does not regulate premises used for supported living; this inspection looked at people’s personal care and support.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This meant they and the provider was legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided. The registered manager had been promoted to a more senior role so on the day of the inspection we were supported by the registered manager and the new manager (manager).

Notice of inspection

This inspection was announced. We gave the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because the service is small, and people are often out, and we wanted to be sure there would be people at home to speak with us.

What we did before inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. 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.

During the inspection

We spoke and communicated with three people who used the service. People who used the service who were unable to talk with us used different ways of communicating, such as using their body language. We spoke with five members of staff including the registered manager, deputy manager and care staff. We called and spoke with four relatives to gain their feedback.

We reviewed a range of records. This included four people’s care records and medication records. We looked at three staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at training and supervision data and quality assurance records.

Updated 21 June 2022

About the service

Mill Road provides personal care to younger adults who have a learning disability and autism. Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do, we also consider any wider social care provided. At the time of our inspection, there were only four people receiving personal care.

Everyone receiving care lived in a shared house that could accommodate up to 10 people The service was a large home, bigger than most domestic style properties. This is larger than current best practice guidance. However. the size of the service having a negative impact on people was mitigated by the building design fitting into the residential area and the other large domestic homes of a similar size.

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

There were times the manager was unable to have robust oversight of care as they had been rostered on as a carer. This also meant they were not able to update relatives of things relating to their loved ones ongoing care. However, on the second day of the inspection the manager told us moving forward they were going to become supernumerary.

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.

Right support:

• Model of care and setting maximises people’s choice, control and independence. People had an opportunity to decide about whether they wanted to live at Mill Road. Staff supported people with daily life skills and supported people to make their own decisions about their care.

Right care:

• Care is person-centred and promotes people’s dignity, privacy and human rights. Staff knew how to ensure each person was supported as an individual in a way that did not discriminate against them in any way.

Right culture:

• Ethos, values, attitudes and behaviours of leaders and care staff ensure people using services lead confident, inclusive and empowered lives. Staff and the management team ensured that people were at the centre of the delivery of care. People were treated as individuals whose life and experiences were considered and factored into care planning.

People, their relatives and staff told us the registered manager and the senior staff were supportive, valued their input and ensured that they were included in any changes to the service provision. The took a personal interest in people and knew them well.

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

Why we inspected

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

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.