Maple House

Updated 19 January 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.

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 one inspector.

Service and service type

Maple House is a 'care home'. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing and/or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement dependent on their registration with us. Maple House is a care home without nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

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

We gave the service notice of the inspection. This was because the service is small and people are often out and we wanted to be sure there would be people at home to speak with us.

What we did before inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service. We looked at notifications we had received from the service. A notification is information about important events, which the provider is required to tell us about by law. The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report. We requested an updated action plan from the registered manager regarding the breaches we found at our last inspection. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During our inspection

We spoke with 3 people who used the service, 3 members of staff and the registered manager. We reviewed a range of records. This included 3 people’s care records, 3 staff files, training records, staff supervision records and medicine administration records. We also looked at audits and a variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures.

We were able to get limited views from people due to their communication needs. We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not speak with us. Following the inspection, we continued to seek clarification from the provider to corroborate evidence found. We spoke with 3 relatives and 1 healthcare professional by telephone to obtain their views of the service.

Updated 19 January 2023

About the service:

Maple House is a residential care home, registered to provide care and support for up to 8 adults with learning disabilities in one adapted building. 8 people were using the service at the time of inspection.

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.

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

Right Support

There was a positive relationship between people and staff who supported them. Throughout our visit we observed staff interact with people who used the service in a kind and courteous way. Risks to people’s individual health and wellbeing were identified and care was planned to minimise the risks. People were cared for and supported by staff who had relevant training and skills. Staff had a good understanding of people’s needs, choices and preferences, and were aware of how to meet people’s individual needs as they changed. People’s dietary needs were taken into account and their nutritional needs were monitored appropriately. We noted not all staff had received a formal supervision meeting recently.

We have made a recommendation about staff supervision.

Right Care

People received care and support that met their needs and took account of their preferences and personal circumstances. One relative told us, “I am very happy with the home.” There were suitable arrangements for the safe storage, management and disposal of medicines. The registered manager worked well with other health and social care professionals to support people using the service. There were enough staff to meet people’s care and support needs. The provider had a system in place to record and monitor accidents and incidents.

Right culture

People and their representatives felt the service was well managed and staff felt supported. They found the registered manager approachable and friendly. People’s safety was promoted by staff who had been trained to recognise and respond effectively to the risks of abuse. People were supported by staff who had received appropriate training and support. 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 did support this practice. There were clear lines of responsibility and accountability within the management structure of the service. Effective systems were in place to quality assure the services provided, manage risks and drive improvement.

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

At the last inspection the service was rated requires improvement (published 20 February 2020) and there were breaches of Regulations 15 (Premises and equipment), and 17 (Good governance). 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 carried out to follow up on action we told the provider to take at the last inspection.

We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.

Follow up

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