Ulysses House

Updated 17 April 2024

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.

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

The inspection was carried out by 2 inspectors and 1 Expert by Experience. The expert by experience made telephone calls to relatives. 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

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

Registered manager

This service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. 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.

At the time of our inspection there was not a registered manager in post. A new manager had been in post for three months and had submitted an application to register. We are currently assessing this application.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service. 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. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 1 person who used the service and 3 relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with 7 members of staff as well as the manager, area manager, senior care workers and care workers.

We reviewed a range of records. This included 5 people's care records, quality assurance records and multiple medication records. We looked at 3 staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found, including information about the provider's monitoring and medicines documentation.

Updated 17 April 2024

About the service

Ulysses House is a residential care home which can support up to 6 people. At the time of the inspection Ulysses House was providing personal care to 5 people aged under 65 with learning disabilities. The service can support up to 6 people. While the service was a large home and bigger than most domestic style properties, the environment was adapted in line with Registering the Right Support. There were deliberately no identifying signs, intercom, cameras, or anything else outside to indicate it was a care home. Staff were also discouraged from wearing anything that suggested they were care staff when coming and going with people.

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee people with a learning disability and autistic people have 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.

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

Right Support:

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests. However, care plan reviews and best interest meetings undertaken required improvement to ensure the people, their relatives and advocates were involved in decisions and development of their care.

The provider gave people care and support in a safe, clean, well equipped, well-furnished and well-maintained environment that met their sensory and physical needs. Where people wanted support, staff enabled people to access specialist health support. Staff supported people with their medicines, however procedures currently in place required improving to ensure medicines were stored and managed safely.

Right Care:

People received kind and compassionate care. Staff understood and responded to their individual needs. Staff understood how to protect people from poor care and abuse. The service worked well with other agencies to do so. Staff had training on how to recognise and report abuse and they knew how to apply it. People told us they received support from staff who knew them well and understood how to keep them safe. People’s care, treatment and support plans reflected their range of needs, and this promoted their wellbeing

Right Culture:

People received good care because of the ethos, values, attitudes and behaviours of the management and staff. Staff knew and understood people well and were responsive, placing people’s wishes, needs and rights at the heart of everything they did. Staff evaluated the quality of support provided to people, involving the person, their families and other professionals as appropriate. Risks of a closed culture were minimised by staff so that people received support based on transparency, respect and inclusivity.

The manager demonstrated a commitment to delivering improvements and achieving best outcomes for people.

Rating at last inspection and update

The last rating for this service was good (published 01 April 2020).

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Ulysses House on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Why we inspected

We received concerns in relation to the management of the home and staffing. As a result, we undertook a comprehensive inspection. The overall rating for the service has changed from good to requires improvement. This is based on the findings at this inspection.

Enforcement

We have identified breaches in relation to regulation 12, safe care and treatment at this inspection. We have served a requirement notice to the provider to improve in this area.

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 continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.