25 January 2022
During a routine inspection
Poplars is a residential care home providing personal care and accommodation to up to six people with learning disabilities and autism in one building. At the time of our inspection there were six people living at the service.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People told they felt safe at the service. Staff had a good understanding of people's needs and knew how to manage risks associated with their care. Staff understood their responsibilities in terms of keeping people safe from abuse and avoidable harm. Action had been taken to reduce the risk of the spread of infection and the provider had ensured practices were updated according to national guidance during the COVID-19 pandemic.
People's needs and choices were assessed and planned for, and their preferences had been taken into account. Staff were safely recruited and inducted. They had access to training and regular supervision to ensure they had the skills to support people effectively.
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; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.
People were supported by care staff that genuinely cared about them and their wellbeing. Staff used respectful language to communicate with and about the needs of the people they were supporting.
People experienced person-centred care that reflect their wishes and preferences. Staff adapted to support people as individuals and used flexible approaches to support people's wellbeing. People were part of their local communities. Staff were skilled at understanding and meeting people's communication needs.
There were systems in place that worked to ensure areas in need of improvement were identified and actions were taken to make changes when needed so that people received good quality care. The registered manager was approachable and supportive, staff enjoyed working at the service and were listened to.
We expect health and social care providers to guarantee autistic people and people with a learning disability the choices, dignity, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. Right support, right care, right culture is the statutory guidance which supports CQC to make assessments and judgements about services providing support to people with a learning disability and/or autistic people.
The service was able to demonstrate how they were meeting the underpinning principles of Right support, right care, right culture.
Right support: Model of care and setting maximises people’s choice, control and independence.
People had individual goals and objectives which they were supported by staff to identify and work towards. People were encouraged to have control in their daily lives and staff ensured people were able to live as independently as possible.
Right care: Care is person-centred and promotes people’s dignity, privacy and human rights.
Staff knew people well and ensured that people received the support they needed to meet their individual care needs. People’s rights were promoted, and they were protected from discrimination. People were treated with dignity and their privacy was respected.
Right culture: Ethos, values, attitudes and behaviours of leaders and care staff ensure people using services lead confident, inclusive and empowered lives.
The culture of the service was open and empowering to people. The management team had ensured that there was a positive ethos at the service which enabled people to feel more confident and encouraged them to take on new challenges and to be a part of their local community.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection
This service was registered with us on 9 May 2019 and this is the first inspection. The last rating for the service under the previous provider was good (published on 27 April 2018).
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on when the service registered with us.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.