Allanby House

Updated 11 January 2018

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, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Allanby House is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection. The service provides care and support for six people who have a learning disability and is run by Community Integrated Care (CIC). The home is a purpose built bungalow with ensuite bedrooms that have been maintained and furnished to high standards. There are adapted bathing facilities for people with limited mobility. An adapted vehicle and large well kept garden areas are available for people's use.

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. People with learning disabilities and autism using the service can live as ordinary a life as any citizen. (Registering the Right Support CQC policy.)

This inspection took place on 5 December 2017 and was unannounced.

The inspection was carried out by an adult social care inspector 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. The team members had experience of the care and support of people living with a learning disability and of older people.

Due to technical problems, the provider was not able to complete a Provider Information Return. This is information we require providers to send us at least once annually to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report.

We met all six people who lived in Allanby House, spoke with them, listened to them and observed them during the day. We also met three visiting relatives and the expert by experience spoke to three other relatives by telephone.

We spoke with one of the senior support workers who was acting as manager of the service. We also spent time with a registered manager of another CIC service who was acting as the regional manager for Cumbria. We spent time with five support workers and we observed them undertaking household tasks and supporting people in personal care and in activities.

Prior to the inspection we spoke with social workers and health care professionals about the care and support given to people in the home.

We read three staff recruitment, supervision and appraisal files. We also looked at records of training for staff.

We looked at all six care files. These included risk assessments, risk management plans, assessments of need and care plans. We also read daily notes and charts of daily care delivery.

We looked at the fire log book which included records of checks, drills, instructions and evacuation procedures.

We looked at money kept on behalf of people in the home by reconciling receipts with money kept for two people.

We went into the kitchen and looked at the food provided, menu plans and paperwork around food safety.

We also looked at safeguarding records and the policies and procedures about this and about the arrangements for whistleblowing.

We checked on a variety of audits and reports which were part of the quality monitoring system.

Updated 11 January 2018

Allanby House is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection. The service provides care and support for six people who have a learning disability and is run by Community Integrated Care (CIC). The home is a purpose built bungalow with ensuite bedrooms that have been maintained and furnished to high standards. There are adapted bathing facilities for people with limited mobility. An adapted vehicle and large well kept garden areas are available for people's use.

This was an unannounced inspection that took place on 5 December 2017. The inspection was conducted by an adult social care inspector and an expert by experience.

At the last inspection, the service was rated as good. At this inspection we found the service remained good.

There was no registered manager in post but a senior support worker was leading the home with support from another 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 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

The provider was advertising for a new manager for this and another service as their previous candidate had moved to another post. An experienced and trained senior support worker was acting as manager of the service.

Staff had received training on safeguarding and understood how to protect people from harm and abuse. CIC had a confidential phone line for staff to report any concerns.

We made a recommendation about increasing security in people's bedrooms to ensure people's medicines and money continued to be managed safely.

Good risk assessments and emergency planning were in place. Accidents and incidents were monitored and analysed and action taken to reduce risks.

We saw that staffing levels were suitable to meet the assessed needs of people in the service. Staff recruitment was thorough with all checks completed before new staff had access to vulnerable people. The organisation had suitable disciplinary procedures in place.

Medicines were appropriately managed. People had their medicines reviewed by their GP and specialist health care providers.

Staff were trained in infection control and the home was clean, orderly and well maintained.

Staff received induction, training and supervision had helped them to give good levels of care and support. They were trained in principles of care in relation to people living with a learning disability and specialised care of people who also lived with a physical disability. Restraint was not used in this service.

Consent was sought, where possible. The service operated within the Mental Capacity Act 2005. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People had access to health care and staff ensured that they saw specialists like consultants, occupational therapists, dieticians, dentists and opticians.

People were happy with the food provided and the staff were aware of how to support people to get good nutrition.

The home was well maintained and well decorated and furnished. The home was secure and staff careful about who came into the house.

Staff on duty displayed a caring attitude and were affectionate, empathic and kind. People in the service responded warmly to them. Staff understood how to support people to maintain their dignity and privacy. Staff showed both empathy and respect for people living with a learning disability. People in the service had access to advocacy and some people had a family member who took on this role.

People's needs were assessed and care plans in place. People received appropriate care and support because care plans were detailed and responsive to their needs.

People went out to shop and for meals. Some people enjoyed sport and going to social events. Other people preferred quieter activities in the home. Everyone in the home could go out to meals, holidays and days out together or singly as they preferred.

Staff had been trained in end of life care and had helped people at this stage in life.

Quality monitoring was evident in all aspects of the service with detailed audits and reports completed on a regular basis. Changes were made when issues were uncovered during the process as quality monitoring was used to improve the service.