32 Mays Lane

Updated 17 October 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. 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.

Inspection team

The inspection was conducted by one inspector.

Service and service type

32 Mays Lane 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

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

Before the inspection we reviewed the information we had received about the service, including previous inspection reports and notifications. Notifications are information about specific important events the service is legally required to send to us. 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 used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

Some people using the service were not able to verbally express their views about the service. Therefore, we spent time observing interactions between staff and people within the communal areas of the home. We spoke with five members of staff including the deputy manager, care staff and the regional director. We reviewed a range of records. This included three people’s care records and medication records; three staff files in relation to recruitment and additional staff supervision records; a variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

After the inspection

We received feedback about the service from two people’s relatives.

Updated 17 October 2019

About the service

32 Mays Lane provides residential care for up to 5 people with learning disabilities or autistic spectrum disorder. At the time of our inspection there were five people living at the service.

The service has been developed and designed in line with the principles and values that underpin

Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. This ensures that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes. The principles reflect the need for people with learning disabilities and/or autism to live meaningful lives that include control, choice, and independence. People using the service receive planned and co-ordinated person-centred support that is appropriate and inclusive for them.

The Secretary of State has asked the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to conduct a thematic review and to make recommendations about the use of restrictive interventions in settings that provide care for people with or who might have mental health problems, learning disabilities and/or autism. Thematic reviews look in-depth at specific issues concerning quality of care across the health and social care sectors. They expand our understanding of both good and poor practice and of the potential drivers of improvement.

As part of thematic review, we carried out a survey with the deputy manager at this inspection. This considered whether the service used any restrictive intervention practices (restraint, seclusion and segregation) when supporting people.

The service used positive behaviour support principles to support people in the least restrictive way. No restrictive intervention practices were used.

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

Relatives and staff told us 32 Mays Lane was a safe place for people to live and our observations reflected this. Staff’s knowledge of the people they supported was good and they were able to tell us about the risks associated with their care and how to minimise these. Enough staff who had been recruited safely were available to meet people’s needs.

People's needs were met in an individual and personalised way by staff who were kind, caring and responsive to their changing needs. 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.

The outcomes for people using the service reflected the principles and values of Registering the Right Support by promoting choice and control, independence and inclusion. People's support focused on them having as many opportunities as possible for them to gain new skills and become more independent. People were supported to engage in a variety of activities of their choice, both in the home and out in the community.

The service had clear values and a commitment to providing high-quality, person-centred care. Staff were clear about their roles and the standards expected of them. Staff felt valued by the management team. Effective governance systems were in place to monitor the quality of care provided and records maintained.

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

Rating at last Inspection

The last rating for this service was good (published 19 April 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

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.