Archived: Catherine Care Limited

Updated 5 February 2019

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This inspection visit took place on 8th January 2019 and was unannounced. A second visit was undertaken on 10th January 2019 and this was announced two hours prior to the visit. The inspection team consisted of one inspector.

As part of planning the inspection we asked the provider to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make and we took this into account when we made the judgements in this report. We also checked if the provider had sent us any notifications. These contain details of events and incidents the provider is required to notify us about by law, including unexpected deaths and injuries occurring to people receiving care. We used this information to plan what areas we were going to focus on during our inspection visit.

We asked for feedback from the commissioners of people's care to find out their views on the quality of the service.

During the inspection, we spoke with three people who used the service. We also spoke with a registered manager, the acting manager, an area manager, a deputy manager, two support workers and one night support worker. After the visit we spoke on the telephone with the relatives of three people.

We observed care, where able when people were not undertaking activities outside of the service, to understand people’s experiences. We sampled the records, including people's care plans, staffing records, complaints, medication and quality monitoring.

We reviewed the care records of four people. We looked at three staff files, which included pre-employment checks and training records and looked at a further three more files to check things. We also looked at other records relating to the management of the service including rotas, complaint logs, accident reports, monthly audits, and medicine administration records.

We requested further information from a registered manager. We received information from local authority commissioners.

Updated 5 February 2019

The inspection visit took place on 8th January 2019 and was unannounced. A further announced visit took place on 10th January 2019.

Catherine Care Limited is a residential service that is registered to provide support to people who have learning disabilities. The service is registered with the CQC to provide accommodation for up to five adults. At the time of our inspection five people were using the service. People lived in individual rooms with access to the communal kitchen and garden.

There were two registered managers at this location. One registered manager works part time and the other is also a director. The provider informed us that both of the registered managers intended to deregister in due course and an acting manager was currently in place who would register with the CQC once the existing registered managers had trained them. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are 'registered persons'. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

Both registered managers, the acting manager and an area manager were at the home when we visited.

At our last inspection we rated the service Good. At this inspection, we found the evidence continued to support the rating of good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

Mental capacity assessments were undertaken but were not always documented and this was not picked up by audits. Training was undertaken in Equality, Diversity and Human Rights but there was no documentation in place to indicate that this was considered in care planning for people.

People were kept safe from the risk of harm. Staff knew how to recognise signs of abuse and were aware of safeguarding procedures. There were a sufficient number of appropriately trained staff to maintain people’s safety. People were not at risk of medicine administration errors as medicines was stored and administered safely.

People’s needs and choices were assessed and reviewed when their needs changed. Staff were appropriately skilled and trained to deliver effective support. They were encouraged to undertake further qualifications and training certificates. People had access to healthcare services and staff knew when to make referrals. The home was adapted to meet people’s needs and their rooms were decorated to their personal preferences. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People were supported by kind and caring staff who displayed empathy and compassion. Staff considered communication needs and supported people to express their views. People were supported to maintain their privacy and dignity and their independence was promoted.

People and their relatives were involved in care planning and their views were respected. People were encouraged to participate in activities of their choice with the support of care workers and through accessing a local Community Hub. Staff and relatives told us they are confident they will be listened to and any complaints and concerns will be addressed.

Staff and relatives told us that they find the management team open and approachable. The managers were aware of their legal responsibilities and submit timely notifications to CQC when required. Audit processes were in place.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.