Pennine House

Updated 5 June 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 checked 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.

Inspection team: The inspection was completed by one inspector.

Service and service type: Heathcotes Chesterfield (Pennine House) is a care home. People in care homes receive accommodation and personal care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

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: This inspection was carried out on 9 May 2019. It was unannounced.

What we did: We used information we held about the home which included notifications that they sent us to plan this inspection. On this occasion the provider had not been asked to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is information we require providers to send us at least once annually to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. However, we gave opportunities for them to update us throughout the inspection.

We used a range of different methods to help us understand people’s experiences. We spoke with two people who lived at the home about the support they received. As some of the people found verbal communication more difficult, we also observed the interaction between people and the staff who supported them in communal areas throughout the inspection visit. We also spoke with two visiting healthcare professionals to gain their feedback on the quality of care. We had further written feedback from a social care professional after the inspection visit.

We spoke with the manager, two senior care staff and five care staff. We reviewed care records for four people to check they were accurate and up to date. We also looked at medicines administration records and reviewed systems the provider had in place to ensure the quality of the service was continuously monitored and reviewed to drive improvement. These included accidents and incidents analysis, meetings minutes and quality audits.

Updated 5 June 2019

About the service: Heathcotes Chesterfield (Pennine House) is a residential care home for people with learning disabilities, and/or autism and complex mental health needs. The care was provided in a purpose-built home for 8 people. There were 4 people living at the home at the time of our inspection.

People’s experience of using this service:

The service had improved and now meets the characteristics of good.

The care service has been developed and designed in line with the values that underpin the Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These values include choice, promotion of independence and inclusion. People using the service can live as ordinary a life as any citizen.

There was a manager in post who was in the process of completing their registration with us. 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 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

The risks to people’s health and wellbeing were assessed and action taken to reduce them. This including supporting behaviours which could be challenging. There were systems to learn from mistakes including the detailed analysis of accidents and incidents. People were supported by staff who understood how to protect them from avoidable harm. There were enough staff deployed to keep people safe in the home and when they chose to go out. People’s medicines were well managed and staff understood how to reduce the risk of the spread of infection.

Staff received training to enable them to do their jobs well. Assessment ensured people were supported to transition into the service well. They were supported to maintain a healthy diet. Their health and welfare were managed with referrals to other professionals made when required. 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.

There were kind and caring relationships between people and staff which were based on dignity and respect. People felt involved with decisions and that staff respected their wishes. People had care and support provided which met their preferences. Complaints were handled in line with the provider’s complaints policy. People did not currently receive end of life care but people had discussed their wishes with staff.

Staff enjoyed working at the service and felt respected and valued. People could give their views about how the service could develop and improve. The provider’s quality assurance processes were effective in identifying potential risks to people’s safety. There was a continued focus on learning, development and improvement.

More information is in the full report.

Rating at last inspection: The service was last inspected on 29 November 2018 and was rated requires improvement.

Why we inspected: This was a scheduled inspection to follow up on previous enforcement when we issued a warning notice around the governance and oversight of the home.

Follow up: We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received we may inspect sooner.

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