Welbeck House

Updated 27 September 2019

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 Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Service and service type

Welbeck 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 had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with two people who used the service about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with four members of staff, the registered manager, an external trainer and the area manager. 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 reviewed a range of records. This included two people’s care records, medication records. We looked a variety of records relating to the management of the service, including audits and action plans.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found.

Updated 27 September 2019

About the service

Welbeck House is a residential care home providing accommodation and personal care for up to four people. At the time of the inspection the service was supporting four adults with learning disabilities.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

People were safe and protected from abuse by staff that understood how to protect people and report their concerns.

Potential risks to people were assessed and measures put in place to mitigate these. If accidents or incidents occurred, staff took action to reduce the risk of similar incidents happening again.

There were enough staff on each shift to meet people's needs and keep them safe.

The provider's recruitment procedures helped ensure only suitable staff were employed.

Medicines were managed safely, and staff maintained appropriate standards of hygiene and infection control.

People had their needs assessed and plans were put in place to meet them. The home was adapted to meet individual needs and people had personalised their bedrooms. Staff had an induction, training and the support they needed to carry out their roles.

People were supported by consistent staff who knew them and their needs well.

Staff worked effectively with one another and engaged other agencies about people's needs. People had their health needs met and sought support from health professionals as required.

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.

The principles and values of Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance ensure people with a learning disability and or autism who use a service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best outcomes that include control, choice and independence. At this inspection the provider had ensured they were applied.

The outcomes for people using the service reflected the principles and values of Registering the Right Support by promoting choice and control, independence and inclusion. People's support focused on them having as many opportunities as possible for them to gain new skills and become more independent.

The Secretary of State has asked the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to conduct a thematic review and to make recommendations about the use of restrictive interventions in settings that provide care for people with or who might have mental health problems, learning disabilities and/or autism. Thematic reviews look in-depth at specific issues concerning quality of care across the health and social care sectors. They expand our understanding of both good and poor practice and of the potential drivers of improvement.

As part of thematic review, we carried out a survey with the registered manager at this inspection. This considered whether the service used any restrictive intervention practices (restraint, seclusion and segregation) when supporting people. The service used positive behaviour support principles to support people in the least restrictive way. No restrictive intervention practices were used.

People were communicated with effectively and were involved in planning their care. Staff encouraged people to make choices about their care and respected their decisions. Staff treated people with respect and maintained their dignity when supporting them.

People were supported in a person-centred way and were provided with a variety of opportunities to go out and take part in activities at local community sites. There was a complaint process in place which people understood how to use.

The registered manager knew people and staff well and had a positive attitude towards making improvements in people's lives. The quality of the service was checked on a regular basis and the provider sought ways to learn and make changes and improvements.

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

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was good (published 7 February 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.