Richford Gate

Updated 9 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.

As part of CQC’s response to the coronavirus pandemic we are conducting a thematic review of infection control and prevention measures in care homes.

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 17 November 2020 and was announced.

Updated 9 December 2020

About the service:

Richford gate is a care home for adults with learning disabilities. At the time of our inspection there were eight people using the service living in two adjoining flats.

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.

People’s experience of using this service:

At the last inspection we found a breach of regulations regarding good governance. This was because records relating to health and safety were incomplete and not checked by managers to make sure they were correct. At this inspection we found this service was meeting this regulation. There were new systems in place to audit and check records and these were effective.

People told us that they found staff kind and caring and approachable. Relatives we spoke with were also positive about the approach of the staff team and they knew who to speak to if they had concerns about the service.

People were supported to maintain and develop their independence and to access the community to carry out activities of their choice. Support plans were developed with people during regular reviews. People were encouraged to set and meet goals for their lives.

People using the service had regular opportunities to speak up and had access to advocacy services to help protect their rights.

There was a new management team which had recently started following the resignation of the registered manager. The management team had ensured people and their relatives knew them and could speak with a manager when needed. Managers were implementing new systems, auditing files and simplifying documents and care workers told us these actions were helping them.

Aspects of the building required maintenance, including to meet fire safety recommendations. The provider had worked with the landlord to implement these. The staff team had worked with people to reduce clutter and improve the overall appearance of the service.

Care workers received enough training and supervision to carry out their roles and were recruited in line with safer processes.

The provider worked with other agencies to help people stay healthy. People were supported to eat and drink and make choices about these daily activities. The provider sought advice from dietitians when people were at risk of malnutrition. Sometimes people chose to continue to have unhealthy food, and there were not detailed plans on how best to encourage healthier choices. We have made a recommendation about this.

Rating at last inspection:

At our last inspection in February 2018 we rated this service ‘requires improvement’.

Why we inspected:

This was a routine inspection.

Follow up:

The service was rated 'good'. We will continue to monitor information and intelligence we receive about the

service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection guidelines. We may inspect sooner if any concerning

information is received.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk