Archived: St Albans House

Updated 16 May 2019

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. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act, 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 carried out by two inspectors.

Service and service type: St Albans House is a care home. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. 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: The announced inspection took place on 27 March 2019, followed by phone calls to relatives on 02 April 2019

We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection visit because it is small and the manager is often out of the office supporting staff or providing care. We needed to be sure that they would be in.

What we did: Before the inspection, the provider completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We reviewed previous reports and notifications that are held on the CQC database. Notifications are important events that the service must let the CQC know about by law. We also reviewed safeguarding alerts and information received from a local authority.

During our inspection we spoke with three people living at the service. We spoke with the registered manager, regional director and two support workers. We contacted a relative by phone following the inspection. We reviewed a range of records held in relation to people’s care and the running of the service.

Updated 16 May 2019

About the service: St Albans House is registered to provide accommodation for up to five people who require personal care. Support and care is provided to people who have learning difficulties and mental health needs. Five people were using the service.

People’s experience of using this service:

St Albans House 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 with learning disabilities and autism using the service can live as ordinary a life as any citizen.

Staff had received training to enable them to recognise signs and symptoms of abuse and they felt confident in how to report these types of concerns. People were supported to take their medicines in a safe way. Risks to people were identified and mitigated.

There were enough staff who had appropriate training to support people and it was clear to see people felt relaxed and comfortable in the company of staff. Peoples health was well managed and staff had links with professionals, which promoted well-being for them.

People had a choice of what they had to eat and drink. Refreshments were available throughout the day and people were encouraged to make their own drinks and help prepare meals. 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.

Staff provided care and support in a caring way. They knew the people who used the service well. People and relatives, where appropriate, were involved in the planning of their care and support.

The service was well-led. The service had systems in place to monitor and provide good care and these were reviewed on a regular basis. The service was currently being sold to a new provider, staff reported communication about these changes had been excellent.

Rating at last inspection: Good (report published 15 September 2016).

Why we inspected: This was a planned inspection based on the rating at the last inspection. The service remained rated Good overall.

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