Vartry Road

Updated 21 December 2021

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

Choice Support - 18 Vartry Road 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.

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

We gave 24 hours’ notice of the inspection because some of the people using it could not consent to a home visit from an inspector. This meant that we had to arrange for a ‘best interests’ decision about this.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us 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 used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We met the four people who used the service. We spoke with four members of staff including the registered manager and three support care workers.

We reviewed a range of records. This included two people’s care records and medication records. We looked at two staff files in relation to training and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at training data and quality assurance records. We spoke with one relative to seek their feedback on the quality of the service for their family member.

Updated 21 December 2021

About the service

Choice Support – 18 Vartry Road is a residential care home providing personal care to four people at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to four people with a learning disability and autism.

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee autistic people and people with a learning disability the choices, dignity, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. Right Support, right care, right culture is the statutory guidance which supports CQC to make assessments and judgements about services providing support to people with a learning disability and/or autistic people.

The service was able to demonstrate how they were meeting the underpinning principles of Right support, right care, right culture.

Right support:

The model of care and setting maximised people’s choice, control and independence. People had access to the local community and amenities. Staff supported people to make choices about their daily lives and engage in activities, that were tailored to their individual needs and promoted their independence. People were supported to maintain and develop relationships.

Right care:

People received good quality person-centred care that promoted their dignity, privacy and human rights. There was a strong person-centred culture within the staff team. Positive behaviour support plans had been developed for people, to help staff understand the reasons for their behaviour, and provide guidance to ensure consistent approaches were used when supporting people. Staff knew people well and demonstrated an understanding of people’s individual care, behavioural and communication needs. This helped ensure people people’s views were heard and their diverse needs met.

Right culture:

The ethos, values, and attitudes of management and care staff ensured people led confident, inclusive and empowered lives. Staff created an environment that inspired people to understand and achieve their goals and ambitions.

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

People were protected from the risk of abuse. People told us they felt safe in the service. Risks to people's safety were managed. Staff were recruited safely. People received their prescribed medicines and medicines were managed safely. The service was clean and hygienic. The provider ensured there was infection control guidance in place. Staff confirmed they were provided with enough personal protective equipment such as masks and gloves.

People's needs were assessed before they moved into the service. Staff had been trained and had the necessary skills and experience to support people. People were supported to eat and drink enough to maintain a balanced diet. People had access to health services. The service worked closely with health professionals to monitor people's physical and mental health.

People were treated with kindness and their privacy was respected by staff. People were enabled and encouraged to express their views and were involved in making decisions about their support. This included reviewing their care plans or deciding what activities to take part in.

People received personalised care to ensure their needs and preferences were met. People were given information in a way they could understand. Staff knew people well and knew how to communicate with them. People were supported and encouraged to maintain relationships with their relatives.

The registered manager had a clear vision about the service and support they offered to people. A range of audits were completed to ensure good quality services. People, staff and relatives were asked for feedback about the service.

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.

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 3 March 2020).

Why we inspected

We undertook this inspection as part of a random selection of services rated Good and Outstanding to test the reliability of our new monitoring approach.

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.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.