Archived: Hawkhurst Road

Updated 17 May 2022

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 Care Act 2014.

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

One Inspector carried out the inspection.

Service and service type

11a Hawkhurst Road provides care and support to two people living in a ‘supported living’ setting, so they can live as independently as possible. People’s care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. CQC does not regulate premises used for supported living; this inspection looked at people’s personal care and support.

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 gave the service 24 hours’ 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.

Inspection activity started on 31 March 2022 and ended on 7 April 2022. We visited 11a Hawkhurst road on 31 March 2022.

What we did before inspection

We looked at the information we held about the service and information from other sources such as visiting professionals. 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 communicated with two people and two relatives about their experience of the care provided. People communicated with us in different ways including using nonverbal communication, Makaton (a type of sign language), photos, and their body language. We spoke with four members of staff including the registered manager and care support staff.

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 talk with us

We reviewed a range of records. This included two people’s care records and two medication records. We looked at two 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.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at training data and quality assurance records. We contacted four professionals who regularly visit the service.

Updated 17 May 2022

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.

About the service

11a Hawkhurst road is a supported living service. At the time of the inspection two people were receiving the regulated activity of personal care. The service supported people with a learning disability and autistic people. Staff provided each person with support for life skills and with their individual health and wellbeing needs. This included specific communication requirements and support with emotional, physical and sensory needs.

The building had been adapted and each person had their own sitting room, bedroom and bathroom. People shared a kitchen and laundry room. Each person had their own tenancy agreement. Staff provided one to one support and were available 24 hours a day. Staff had separate facilities which included an office, kitchen and sleep in room.

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

Right Support

Staff supported each person to have the maximum possible choice, control and independence. Staff focused on each person’s strengths and promoted what they could do, so they had a fulfilling and meaningful everyday life. We observed people make decisions about their own lives and everyday life choices. For example, one person was on-line food shopping, choosing exactly what they wanted to buy. A staff member was offering suggestions and advice which sometimes the person agreed with and sometimes they didn’t. Staff were respecting the person’s choices.

Right Care

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 were comfortable and relaxed with their support staff, freely expressing their needs and wishes. Relatives confirmed they believed their loved ones felt safe.

People received kind and compassionate care which supported their needs and aspirations. There were enough appropriately skilled staff to meet each person’s individual needs and keep them safe. During the inspection we observed each person using individual and specific communication methods to communicate with staff. This included Makaton (a type of sign language), pictures, and assistive technology. For example, one person used body language and gesturing to let us know that they were happy to invite us into their kitchen. We observed people communicated comfortably with staff because staff had the necessary skills to support good communication.

Right culture

People were supported by staff who understood best practice in relation to the wide range of strengths, impairments or sensitivities, people with a learning disability and autistic people may have. This meant each person received compassionate and empowering care which was tailored to their needs. People led inclusive and empowered lives because of the ethos, values, attitudes and behaviours of the management and staff. For example, we observed a person who had decided they wanted to go for an impromptu walk and was immediately supported to go. Families told us they were fully involved in planning their loved one’s care and they felt valued and listened to. One relative told us, “We are fully involved we all work together with (name) to make it good for them.”

Staff placed people’s wishes, needs and rights at the heart of everything they did. The registered manager and staff understood the importance of family to people and made communication a priority. A relative said, “Communication from the registered manager and staff is excellent, we talk regularly.”

The service enabled people and those important to them to work with staff to develop the service. Staff valued and acted upon people’s views. One staff told us, “People lead us showing us how they want to be supported.” People’s quality of life was enhanced by the service’s culture of improvement and inclusivity.

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

Rating

This service was registered with us on 25 November 2019 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

We undertook this inspection to assess that the service is applying the principles of right support, right care, right culture.

We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all supported living 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 until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.