Background to this inspection
Updated
25 October 2017
We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection checked whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.
This was an unannounced inspection and took place on 5 and 8 September 2017.
This inspection was carried out by one inspector.
There were four people living at the home. We spoke with four people, three relatives, three care workers, and the registered manager from another home who was covering whilst the prospective registered manager who had applied for registration with the Care Quality Commission was on leave.
Before the inspection, the provider completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We also checked notifications made to us by the provider, safeguarding alerts raised regarding people living at the home and information we held on our database about the service and provider.
During our visit we observed the care and support provided, was shown around the home and checked records, policies and procedures. These included the staff training, supervision and appraisal systems and home’s maintenance and quality assurance systems.
We looked at the personal care and support plans for three people and two staff files.
We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us.
We contacted a health care professional to get their views.
Updated
25 October 2017
This was an unannounced inspection that took place on 5 and 8 September 2017.
Woodlawn Crescent is a care home that supports up to four people with a learning disability. The home is managed by the Royal Mencap Society and is situated in Whitton in the London Borough of Richmond Upon Thames.
The home had a registered manager, although they were in the process of transferring to a new post within the organisation. An application had also been made for a new registered manager. 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.
At the last inspection on 6 July 2015 the home met all the key questions and was rated good in each with an overall good rating.
People and their relatives thought the home was a good place to live and people were happy there. This was particularly regarding the way that staff treated and supported people. When we visited people were supported to choose the activities they wanted to do and when they wished to do them, unless they were external activities with fixed times. Although the home provided community based activities, one relative and a health care professional felt that these had reduced for one person because there were not enough staff. Other relatives were happy with the staffing levels.
We recommend that the provider review the deployment of staff throughout the day and night in line with national guidance on safe staffing levels to ensure people using the service have the support and supervision they need at all times.
People felt safe living at the home and accessing amenities available in the local community. The home was warm and welcoming with a friendly and inclusive atmosphere. Throughout our visit people’s body language and their interaction with staff and each other was positive.
The home was well maintained, furnished, clean and provided a safe environment for people to live and staff to work in.
There were comprehensive records that were kept up to date. The care plans contained clearly recorded, fully completed, and regularly reviewed information. This enabled staff to perform their duties efficiently.
The staff knew the people they worked with and field they worked in well. They had the appropriate skills and training required to meet people’s needs and they were focussed on providing care and support for each person as an individual. This was delivered in an enabling, friendly and professional manner. They were trained and skilled and made themselves accessible to people and their relatives. Staff said they had access to good training and support.
People were protected from nutrition and hydration associated risks by being provided with balanced diets that also met their likes and preferences. They said they liked the choice and variety of food provided. People were encouraged to discuss health needs with staff and they had access to community based health professionals.
The management team at the home, were approachable, responsive, encouraged feedback from people and consistently monitored and assessed the quality of the service provided.
People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible with the organisation’s policies and systems supporting this practice.