30 June 2022
During a routine inspection
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
HoneySuckle Lodge is a residential care home providing personal care to six people at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to four people living permanently at the care home and up to two people on a short-term respite basis. Nine people in total used the respite service. The four people who lived in the service permanently were accommodated in their own self-contained flats. This included a kitchen, living room, bathroom and bedroom. Each flat also had its own garden space. People who lived in the service permanently and those who visited for respite care could also access a communal kitchen, dining room, and living space as well as larger communal gardens. The service also offered a sensory room, a cinema room, and an arts and craft room.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
Right Support
People lived in a clean and pleasant environment that had been adapted to meet their individual needs. Relatives praised the tenacity and commitment of staff in ensuring people were supported to have good outcomes and a good quality of life. People were supported by skilled and competent staff who had been recruited safely. The support provided to people to help them communicate their wishes and feelings was exceptional. This helped people be in control of their support. People were supported to manage their health needs and achieved good outcomes in this area. Staff worked well with other health and social care professionals. Risks to people were well managed. 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.
Right Care
People and their needs were central to the service. Staff were extremely passionate and committed to understanding people’s wishes and helping them achieve this. People were supported by staff who had high expectations for their quality of life. They fostered and developed people’s independence and daily living skills. Relatives told us they had seen people grow and develop as a result. People and relatives were supported by empathetic and caring staff who at times went over and above to ensure people and their relatives felt supported and cared about. People were well supported to manage episodes of distress and staff had worked hard to help reduce these occasions.
Right culture
There was a strong person-centred and inclusive culture. Staff worked well with each other and people using the service. The management team were open, honest, and keen to learn and develop the service to its full potential. Staff felt well supported by the management team, who had introduced several initiatives to help staff feel valued. Governance frameworks were in place but further strengthening and development was needed in order to fully underpin the good quality of care being provided.
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 18 June 2021 and this is the first inspection.
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection to provide a rating for the service following its registration. We undertook this inspection to assess that the service is applying the principles of Right support, right care, right culture.
Enforcement and Recommendations
We have made a recommendation about the governance of the service.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.