Normanshire Care Services Ltd

Updated 18 April 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 team consisted of 1 inspector.

Service and Service Type

Normanshire Care Services Ltd 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. Normanshire Care Services Ltd 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

We gave the service 2 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because it is a small service and people are often out and we wanted to be sure there would be people at home and staff to speak with us.

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. We used the information the provider sent us in the information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We observed care and treatment in communal areas. We spoke with 2 relatives and 1 person who used the service. We spoke with 4 staff including the registered manager, service manager, team leader and 1 care staff. We looked at a range of management records including medicines and quality audits. We reviewed 3 people’s care records including risk assessments and 3 staff recruitment records. After the site visit, we continued to liaise with the service. The registered manager sent us documentation we asked for and clarified any queries we had.

Updated 18 April 2023

About the service

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.

Normanshire Care Services is a residential care home which provides accommodation and personal care to up to 6 adults living with a learning disability or autism. The service is provided in one building across two floors with a garden. At the time of inspection 6 people were using the service.

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

Right Support

The model of care and the setting maximised people’s choice and control. People had their own bedroom and had access to shared facilities including a garden. People were protected from the risks associated with the spread of infection and were supported to take their medicines safely.

People’s risks were assessed in a person-centred way. Care plans and risk assessments were regularly reviewed and involved relatives and advocates as appropriate. People who may become anxious or distressed had proactive plans in place to reduce the need for restrictive practices.

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.

Right Care

People’s needs were assessed before they began to use the service to ensure the provider could meet those needs. People had care and support plans that were personalised, holistic, strengths-based and reflected their needs and aspirations, included physical and mental health needs.

Relatives confirmed they were included in decision making about their relative’s care. People were supported to eat and drink enough to maintain a balanced diet. Staff involved people in choosing their food and planning their meals. Staff supported people to maintain their health and worked jointly with healthcare professionals to improve outcomes for people.

Right Culture

Management were visible in the service, approachable and took a genuine interest in what people, staff and other professionals had to say. The management team worked directly with people and led by example. Relatives and staff confirmed they would be able to raise concerns to enable improvements to be made to the service. Relatives were asked by the provider about their opinions of the service.

Staff were recruited safely and there were enough staff on duty to meet people’s needs. People were protected from abuse and poor care. The provider supported staff with training and supervision. Training included learning disability and autism so care could be provided effectively.

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 16 September 2021)

At our last inspection we made a recommendation in relation to the referral and assessment of people’s needs. At this inspection we found the provider had taken action on this and improvements had been made.

Why we inspected.

We received concerns in relation to the general care and safety of people using the service. As a result, we undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of safe, effective, and well-led only. For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating. The overall rating for the service remains good based on the findings of this inspection.

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.

We found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm from these concerns. Please see the safe, effective, and well-led sections of this full report.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.