Cantley House

Updated 24 October 2019

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. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team:

The inspection was under taken by one adult social care inspector.

Service and service type:

Cantley House is a ‘care home.’ People in homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

The service specialises in providing care and support to people with learning disabilities and other complex needs, such as autism. The accommodation is an ordinary family home in the community.

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:

We visited Cantley House on 16 August 2019. We gave the registered manager short notice that we were going to visit. This was because this is a small service and we wanted to be sure someone would be in when we visited.

What we did:

The provider had completed a Provider Information Return (PIR) in April 2019. 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. This information was used to help inform our inspection.

Prior to the inspection we reviewed information we had received about the service. This included reviewing any notifications of accidents and incidents and information we had received from external agencies. We also received feedback about the service from one social care professional.

This inspection included spending time with two of the three people who lived at the home, the registered manager, two senior care workers and two care workers. We reviewed two people's care records, two staff personnel files, audits and other records about the management of the service. We spent time observing interactions between staff and people in the home.

Updated 24 October 2019

About the service:

Cantley House is a care home registered to care for three people who have a learning disability or autistic spectrum disorder. At the time of the inspection three people were living in the home.

The Secretary of State has asked the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to conduct a thematic review and to make recommendations about the use of restrictive interventions in settings that provide care for people with or who might have mental health problems, learning disabilities and/or autism. Thematic reviews look in-depth at specific issues concerning quality of care across the health and social care sectors. They expand our understanding of both good and poor practice and of the potential drivers of improvement.

As part of thematic review, we carried out a survey with the registered manager at this inspection. This considered whether the service used any restrictive intervention practices (restraint, seclusion and segregation) when supporting people. The service used positive behaviour support principles to support people in the least restrictive way. No restrictive intervention practices were used.

The service applied the principles and values of Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These ensure that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes that include control, choice and independence.

We found the outcomes for people using this service reflected the principles and values of Registering the Right Support by promoting choice and control, independence and inclusion. People's support focused on them having as many opportunities as possible for them to gain new skills and become more independent.

People’s experience of using this service:

People were safe and protected from avoidable harm and relevant risk assessments were in place. People told us they felt safe living in the home. People's medicines were managed well, and the home was clean and tidy throughout. There were enough staff on duty to ensure people’s needs were met and they had been recruited in a way that helped to keep people safe.

People were supported to eat and drink. Where people had specific dietary needs, these were provided for. Communication was effective within the staff team and people were supported to access healthcare services as needed. 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. All staff received appropriate training, support and supervision.

Staff were kind and caring towards people and had developed very strong and positive relationships with them, knowing them well, including their histories, likes and dislikes. People were treated with dignity and respect, they were involved in making daily decisions and encouraged to develop and maintain their independence.

Care plans were personalised and detailed. They included information about people’s preferences and abilities. People were supported to make day to day choices and decisions about their lives and were able to participate in their hobbies and interests. Staff supported people to participate in a range of activities. There was a focus on treating people with equality and on involving and empowering those with communication difficulties, to ensure their voices were heard and valued. There was a system in place to manage complaints.

Leadership and management were of good quality and people who used the service, their relatives and representatives were involved in how the service was run and operated. Systems of governance were in place to monitor the quality of the service provided and staff felt supported and spoke positively about the registered provider and the registered manager.

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

Rating at last inspection:

The service was rated good at the last inspection in January 2017 (published February 2017).

Why we inspected:

This was a planned inspection based on the rating awarded at the last inspection.

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.