Osborne House

Updated 15 July 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

Two inspectors carried out the inspection.

Service and service type

This service provides care and support to people living in one ‘supported living’ setting, so that 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 it is a small service and we needed to be sure that the registered manager would be available to support the inspection. Also, people are often out and we wanted to be sure there would be people at home to speak with us.

Inspection activity started on 20 April 2022 and ended on 18 May 2022. We visited the office location on 29 April 2022 and visited the people who use the service at their home on 18 May 2022.

What we did before inspection

We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We reviewed all the information we had received about the service since it was registered with us. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We met both people who used the service at their home. One person was able to talk with us about their service; the other person was not able to communicate verbally. Staff told us they did have a good level of understanding if information was provided in the right format, for example clear verbal information with visual cues, so staff supported us with this. We also spoke with two relatives to gain their views of the care and support provided.

We spoke with three members of care staff. We also spoke with the registered manager and the provider’s quality assurance and compliance manager.

We reviewed a range of records. This included both people’s care records and their medication records. We looked at one staff file in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including quality audits, staff training records and staff meeting minutes were reviewed.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at medication records.

Updated 15 July 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

Osborne House is a supported living service. It provides care and support to two people who have a learning disability who live together in one house in Taunton (called ‘Roy's Place’). They are supported by a very small team of four care staff. There are no immediate plans for the service to provide care to any new people, although they may in the future.

People's experience of using this service and what we found.

The service was able to demonstrate how they were meeting the underpinning principles of right support, right care, right culture.

Right Support

People were supported to have maximum possible 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 staff to be involved in all decisions about their care and support. Staff used communication methods which were personal to the individual to enable them to express themselves. People's families felt involved.

People received personalised care and support which was completely built around their needs and preferences. People had their own small staff team who they knew and trusted.

Staff supported people with their medicines in a way that promoted their independence and achieved the best possible health outcome.

People were supported by staff to pursue their interests and take on new challenges to enhance their quality of life. People led very active and social lives and were able to try new things that interested them.

Staff supported people to achieve their aspirations and goals. One family member told us “He has learned a lot since moving here and he is a lot more independent. He makes a lot more choices. I am delighted as he now has a whole different life to what he had before.”

Staff enabled people to access specialist health and social care support in the community.

Right Care

People received kind and compassionate care. Staff protected and respected people’s privacy and dignity. They understood and responded to their individual needs.

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.

The service had enough appropriately skilled staff to meet people’s needs and keep them safe.

People who had individual ways of communicating could communicate with staff and understand information given to them because staff supported them consistently and understood their individual communication needs.

People's care and support plans reflected people's needs and preferences and this enhanced their wellbeing and enjoyment of life. Staff had an excellent understanding of people's needs and were flexible to enable them to meet changing needs and wishes.

People received care that was focused on their quality of life and followed best practice.

People could take part in activities and pursue interests that were tailored to them. The service gave people opportunities to try new activities that enhanced and enriched their lives.

Right culture

People led inclusive and empowered lives because of the ethos, values, attitudes and behaviours of the management and staff.

People were supported by a management team who worked hard to promote a culture where people were valued and respected as individuals. This culture enabled people to develop and flourish. Staff spoken with were committed to the values of the organisation.

The culture and practice of the organisation achieved positive outcomes for people. This had resulted in people being happier and more content and a reduction in the number of staff needed to keep them safe.

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/or autistic people may have. This meant people received compassionate and empowering care that was tailored to their specific needs.

Staff placed people’s wishes, needs and rights at the heart of everything they did.

Staff knew and understood people well and were responsive, supporting their aspirations to live a quality life of their choosing. Everyone was cared for and valued as the individual they were. All care was tailored to their individual needs.

People and those important to them were involved in planning their care.

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

Why we inspected

This service was registered with us on 16 February 2021 and this is the first inspection.

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.