50 Vassall Road

Updated 10 December 2020

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

The service was selected to take part in this thematic review which is seeking to identify examples of good practice in infection prevention and control.

This inspection took place on 20 November 2020 and was announced.

Updated 10 December 2020

This inspection took place on 6 December and 9 December 2017 and was unannounced.

The service is registered to provide residential care for up to six people with learning disability or mental health conditions. At the time of our inspection six people were using the service. The care service has been developed and designed in line with the values that underpin the Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These values include choice, promotion of independence and inclusion. This means people with learning disabilities and autism using the service can live as ordinary a life as any citizen.

There was a registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are 'registered persons'. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

People felt safe at the home and with the staff who supported them. People were protected from abuse and avoidable harm. This was because staff had been on training and had the knowledge and awareness they required to do their job effectively and help to keep people safe.

People’s medicines were managed safely within the service and where people wanted to they were supported to be responsible for their own medicines.

Risk assessments and care plans helped promote the safety of people when they were out in the community and within the home.

People were very well supported to exercise choice and control of their lives. The staff team supported them in the least restrictive way they could. There were policies and systems in use that helped the staff to do this. People were supported with their health needs and staff monitored their wellbeing.

People were supported to with enough to eat and drink to maintain good health. Menus were planned based on each person’s likes and dislikes.

The requirements of the Mental Capacity Act were met for people at the home. People were supported to have as much choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible. There were policies and systems in the home that supported the staff and people who lived there.

People were encouraged and supported by the staff to maintain their independence. The staff team respected people’s privacy and dignity. People were cared for by a staff team that knew and understood their individual needs extremely well. People felt very relaxed about talking with staff members and raising any concerns or worries with them.

The service was very flexible and responded creatively to people’s individual needs or wishes. Activities were highly individualised to fully reflect people’s interests, wishes and choices. Care plans contained personalised information to help staff provide high quality care and support.

People received care based on their needs and preferences. They were supported to be fully involved in all aspects of their care and were supported to lead their lives in the way they chose. . People’s views and opinions were proactively sought and listened to. Feedback from people receiving support was taken constructively to drive improvements.

The home was very well run and people, staff and professionals all spoke extremely highly of the registered manager. The registered manager was extremely inclusive in the way that they ran the home. The registered manager was very positive in their approach about the care being provided for people and this was evident throughout our visit. The registered manager was a very strong role model for staff. They showed they had a very caring and generous approach with their team and the people who lived at the home. For example, they always made plenty of time for people whenever they wanted to speak with them. The staff we met also told us that the registered manager always gave them a great deal of time and support both formally and throughout the day. The staff and people in the home felt they were very supportive accessible and enabling to them.

There was a culture of mutual respect between the registered manager, staff and those who lived at 50 Vassall Road. People enjoyed interacting with the registered manager and the team. The atmosphere in the home was very relaxed, comfortable and homely. The registered manager, staff and people living in the home worked very hard to provide a service that was safe, caring ,effective and extremely responsive to people’s needs .

People, their relatives and professional’s involved in people’s care gave very positive feedback about the service. Quality monitoring and assurance systems were in place to help drive improvements and ensure a safe and high standard of care and service for people.