Uxbridge Road

Updated 9 September 2023

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 Health and Social Care Act 2008.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by 2 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.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the 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. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 3 people. Some people could not speak with us and tell us of their experiences verbally, so we observed their interactions with staff. We spoke with 5 members of staff including the registered manager, deputy manager and 3 care workers. We reviewed a range of records. This included 2 people's care records and medicines records. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

Updated 9 September 2023

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

Uxbridge Road is a supported living service for up to 9 people with learning disabilities and/or autism. At the time of the inspection, 6 people were living at the service. There were 2 buildings on the same site, accommodation for 2 people in 1 building and for up to 7 people in the other building.

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 the inspection, two people were receiving support with personal care. The other four people had support with other aspects of their care.

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

The service was able to demonstrate how they were meeting the underpinning principles of right support, right care and right culture.

Right Culture:

The provider had systems to evaluate the quality of the service being delivered, but these were not always effective as they had not identified gaps in cleaning schedules. However, the provider took immediate action to make improvements. People and those important to them were involved in planning their care, and overall, people and their relatives were satisfied with the care provided. Staff were supported through supervision and training and told us they felt supported by managers.

Right Support:

People were kept safe from avoidable harm and risks to people were assessed and monitored. Staff were aware of people’s strengths and promoted independence to help people achieve a meaningful everyday life. People were supported to have 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. Staff supported people to make decisions and communicated with people in ways that met their needs. Staff also supported people to take part in activities and pursue their interests in their local area.

Right Care:

Staff understood people’s cultural needs and provided culturally appropriate care. Individual needs were addressed. For example, people who had specific ways of communicating, using sounds, certain words, Makaton (a form of sign language) and pictures could interact with staff and others involved in their care and support because staff had the necessary skills to understand them. People’s care plans reflected their range of needs, and this promoted their wellbeing and enjoyment of life.

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 21 April 2022). The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve. At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service. We carried out an unannounced comprehensive inspection of this service on 22 March 2022. Breaches of legal requirements were found. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve person centred care and good governance.

We undertook this focused inspection to check they had followed their action plan and to confirm they now met legal requirements. This report only covers our findings in relation to the Key Questions Caring, Responsive and Well-led which contain those requirements.

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 remained requires improvement. 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 Uxbridge Road 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.