- Care home
Susan Hampshire House
Report from 18 November 2024 assessment
Contents
Ratings
Our view of the service
Date of Assessment: 19 November to 12 December 2024. Susan Hampshire House is a residential care home which provides support to adults with a learning disability and autistic people. We assessed the service against the ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ guidance to make judgements about whether the provider guaranteed people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices, independence and the access to local communities that most people take for granted. At our last inspection the service was rated requires improvement. Improvements had been made, but at this assessment the service continued to be rated requires improvement. We assessed all of the quality statements in the safe and well led key questions and found 3 breaches of regulation. These related to safe care and treatment, staffing and governance. There were not always enough staff with the right skills and experience. Staff did not always receive appropriate training to carry out their role effectively and safely. This meant they did not always work well with people to understand and manage risks. The provider's governance systems were not always effective in monitoring and improving the quality of the service. However, people were happy living at the home, and they felt safe there. People were treated with kindness and compassion and as individuals. Staff supported people with meaningful and stimulating activities and encouraged them to maintain relationships with family and friends. Assessments of people’s communication, personal and health needs provided staff with guidance about individual needs and preferences. Improvements were being made to medicines records and management at the time of this assessment. There had been several recent changes to the management team. A new acting manager and assistant manager were in post. They were passionate, motivated and committed to making improvements at the service.
People's experience of this service
We spoke with 3 people who used the service about their experience of the care provided and spent time with others observing interactions with staff. Some people could not directly tell us about their experiences. We used a structured observation tool to help us understand their experience and assess whether they received good care. We asked people what they thought of the service. One person said, “It’s alright. I am happy” and another person gave a big smile and a ‘thumbs up’. People knew each other well and looked to each other for companionship. We saw one person comfort another when they were upset. Two people sat together in the lounge and enjoyed music and watching what was going on around them. Another person chose to spend time sitting in the upstairs corridor where it was quiet, but they could watch people going back and forth. People moved freely around the home accessing the lounges and their bedrooms. During our visit a wide range of activities were planned or had recently taken place. There were several seasonal activities, such as Christmas jumper day, Christmas visits with families, a craft day, Christmas shopping and singing. A person’s birthday was being celebrated, and photos were displayed of a recent trip and other activities. People were supported to keep in touch with family and friends. One person told us they enjoyed regular stays with their partner and had a job which was going well. People appeared well cared for and those who were supported in bed looked comfortable and safe. We observed staff using signs and gestures to communicate with a person. They said the individual used a combination of recognised signs and some they had made up. This showed staff knew the person well and were able to communicate and share information with them in an accessible way that met their needs.