Background to this inspection
Updated
8 February 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.
As part of this inspection we looked at the infection control and prevention measures in place. This was conducted so we can understand the preparedness of the service in preventing or managing an infection outbreak, and to identify good practice we can share with other services.
Inspection team
The inspection was carried out by 2 inspectors.
Service and service type
Ridgemoor Road 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. Ridgemoor Road 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
The first day of the inspection was unannounced. We announced the second day of inspection. We visited the service on the 5 and 6 December 2022 and continued to review information and contact relatives until
10 January 2023.
What we did before the inspection
We sought feedback from the local authority and Healthwatch. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England.
The provider was not asked to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR) prior to this inspection. A PIR is information providers send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.
We used all this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We spent time with people to see how they were cared for. We spoke with 6 relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with 7 members of staff including care staff, deputy manager and the registered manager. We also spoke with an advocate. We reviewed a range of records including care records, policies and procedures, recruitment files, medication records, training, accidents and incidents and audits.
Updated
8 February 2023
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
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
Ridgemoor Road provides accommodation and personal care for up to 8 younger adults and older people with a learning disability and autistic people. The home consists of 2 bungalows each accommodating up to 4 people each. At the time of our inspection, there were 8 people using the service.
Right Support:
Improvements were needed to ensure risks to people were monitored and managed more effectively and consistently. Further development was required to the systems and practices used to received, manage, administered and record people’s medicines. This would help to reduce risks to people.
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 to maintain contact with people who were important to them. People had their own bedrooms and were able to personalise these as they wished.
Right Care:
People’s care, treatment and support plans were not always up to date or complete. This meant staff did not always have the guidance required to provide personalised support to people. In addition, information was not consistently available, should people need to transfer between services in an emergency.
Staff understood how to protect people from poor care and abuse. People were supported to go shopping and eat out and received kind and compassionate care. This helped promote people’s wellbeing.
Right Culture:
The provider had identified some improvements were needed in the environment and the way people’s medication was managed and checked. Steps were being taken to address these.
Relatives felt the service was well managed and they were kept informed.
Senior staff were visible in the service and staff felt supported to provide good care.
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 21 April 2022 and this is the first inspection.
The last rating for the service under the previous provider was requires improvement published on 3 December 2019.
Why we inspected
This was the first comprehensive inspection of Ridgemoor Road since registration.
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.
The overall rating for this service is based on the findings of this inspection.
Enforcement
We have identified a breach in relation to how medication and people's safety is managed at this inspection. Please see the Safe section of this report.
Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.
We will request an action plan from the provider to understand what they will do to improve the standards of quality and safety. We will work alongside the provider and local authority to monitor progress. We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.