Carlton Specialist Care Centre

Updated 8 February 2019

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.

This inspection took place on 4 January 2019 and was unannounced. This inspection was carried out by one adult social care inspector.

We reviewed information we had received from the provider such as statutory notifications. We also contacted Healthwatch to see if they had received any information about the provider. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England. We contacted the local authority commissioning and monitoring team, the fire service, the infection control teams and reviewed all the safeguarding information regarding the service.

Before the inspection, we asked the provider to complete 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 spoke with the registered manager, the governance lead, the quality and compliance lead, a team leader and a support worker. We spoke with one visiting relative during the inspection and two relatives following the inspection. We reviewed two care plans in detail and records in relation to people using the service. We reviewed audits and governance information to see how the service was monitoring the quality of the service they provided

Updated 8 February 2019

This inspection took place on 4 January 2019 and was unannounced.

Carlton Specialist Care Centre is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Carlton Specialist Care Centre provides care and support for up to 10 people with autism and learning disabilities in one large building. Bedrooms are arranged around communal areas on the ground floor. 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.

There was a registered manager in place. 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.

At the last inspection, the service was rated good. At this inspection we found the rating remained good and the service met all relevant fundamental standards.

Staff understood how to keep people safe and were aware of the process to follow if they had any concerns. Risks had been assessed and recorded to ensure people were protected from harm without overly restricting people’s freedom. Positive risk assessments were in place to enable people to gain new skills in a safe and measured way.

Accidents and incidents were recorded and analysed. These were analysed by the provider’s health and safety team to ensure any lessons learnt were shared across all the provider’s locations.

Every person living at the home had a Deprivation of Liberty Safeguard authorisation in place which meant they had some restrictions in place to protect them from harm. However, where it was possible, 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.

Staff received ongoing support from the management team through a programme of supervisions and appraisals and they had been trained to ensure they had the knowledge and skills to care for people. This included specialist training to meet the specific needs of the people at the service.

People were at the heart of the service and staff were keen to ensure they respected people’s rights to privacy, dignity and maximised their independence.

There was clear evidence of person-centred care. People were involved in activities based upon their established routines and preferences. Care records contained information on how to support people and were very detailed. Reviews of people’s care needs took place at a regular interval or when their needs changed, and relatives told us how good the service was at keeping them involved and informed about their relation’s care.

Systems and processes for ensuring the quality of the service were in place. A number of audits were undertaken to ensure the provider could monitor the quality of the service they provided. These ensured the service continued to improve against nationally recognised evidence-based standards of care for people living with autism and/or a learning disability.

Further information is in the detailed findings.