Whitmore Vale House

Updated 7 July 2023

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 Health and Social Care Act 2008.

Inspection team

This inspection was carried out by 2 inspectors and an Expert by Experience.

An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

Whitmore Vale House is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing and/or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement dependent on their registration with us. Whitmore Vale House is a care home without nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the 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 also reviewed all of the information we held about the service which included statutory notifications of accidents, incidents or safeguarding concerns. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 4 people and 2 relatives. We observed interactions between people and staff. We spoke with the registered manager, deputy manager, operations manager, 3 care staff and the nominated individual. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider.

We reviewed the care documentation for 5 people, looked at various medicine administration records and checked the recruitment files for 4 staff. We also looked at the governance processes and systems within the service. This included regular audits, meetings, training and how people were involved in the running of their home.

Following the inspection, our Expert by Experience had some limited conversation with 3 people and spoke with 3 relatives.

Updated 7 July 2023

About the service

Whitmore Vale House is a care home which provides accommodation and personal care for up to 20 people with a learning disability and autistic people. The service is divided into three separate living quarters, each with their own kitchen and communal areas. At the time of our inspection 16 people were living at the service.

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

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee autistic people and people with a learning disability the choices, dignity, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. Right support, right care, right culture is the statutory guidance which supports CQC to make assessments and judgements about services providing support to people with a learning disability and/or autistic people. We considered this guidance as there were people using the service who have a learning disability and or who are autistic.

Right Support:

People were cared for by staff who supported them to learn new life skills and retain their independence. People could choose how they liked their care and how they wished to spend their time. One person said, “I go out for dinner and we go to the cinema.”

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.

People were supported in taking positive risks in order to promote their independence. Staff had written up risk assessments where guidance was recorded for staff to help reduce people’s risks.

People could express their views through meetings and staff took an interest in people and worked with them to achieve their goals and aspirations.

Right Care:

People were treated with respect by staff. People and staff had good relationships and staff spent time with people to enable them to do the things they wanted, like going to see their girlfriend or taking the bus into town.

People were cared for by a sufficient number of staff who had been trained appropriately. People received the medicines they were prescribed and were supported to access health care professional input when needed. This helped to ensure they retained a good level of health. People were able to choose what they ate and participated in the preparation of meals and drinks.

People lived in an environment which was suitable for them. People said they liked living at Whitmore Vale House and that they felt they were well cared for and safe.

Right Culture:

The registered manager had made improvements to the service since our last inspection. Relative’s gave positive feedback on management telling us, “The new manager is a good person” and, “The new manager is approachable.”

Staff and managers were clear about their roles and responsibilities and staff worked well together as a team. People received person-centred, individualised care as a result from staff who knew people and their needs well.

The registered manager and other senior staff were always looking for ways to improve the service by working with other external agencies, obtaining feedback from people, staff and relatives and through their governance processes and auditing systems.

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

Rating at last inspection and update

The last rating for this service was Requires Improvement (published 30 January 2021).

At our last inspection we recommended the registered provider arrange for refresher training for staff to enable them to carry out their role with confidence. We also recommended they carry out decision specific capacity assessments for people where restrictive practices were being considered. At this inspection we found the registered provider had responded to our recommendations.

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all care home 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, which will help inform when we next inspect.