Archived: Osborne House

Updated 16 March 2022

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 COVID-19 pandemic we are looking at how services manage infection control and visiting arrangements. This was a targeted inspection looking at the infection prevention and control measures the provider had in place. We also asked the provider about any staffing pressures the service was experiencing and whether this was having an impact on the service.

This inspection took place 10 February 2022 and was announced. We gave the service four days’ notice of the inspection.

Updated 16 March 2022

This was the first inspection of the service which changed registration on 16 August 2016. The service was previously registered as a residential care home but applied for a change in registration to a ‘supported living’ service. This inspection took place on the 7 August 2018 and was announced. The service was rated as good in all domains. This means the service is good overall.

Osborne House provides care to people living in a ‘supported living’ environment. Of the eight people living in the house three receive a regulated activity. The service supports people with a learning disability and associated needs. The Care Quality Commission only inspects the service being received by people provided with personal care, help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. People’s care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) does not regulate premises used for supported living.

The service had a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the CQC 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.

People were kept safe by staff and would be confident to raise any concerns they had. The provider’s recruitment procedures were robust and medicines were managed safely. There were sufficient staff to provide safe and effective care at the times agreed by the people who were using the service.

There were procedures in place to manage risks to people and staff. Staff were aware of how to deal with emergency situations and knew how to keep people safe by reporting concerns promptly through processes they understood well.

Staff received an induction and spent time working with experienced members of staff before working alone with people. Staff were supported to receive the training and development they needed to care for and support people’s individual needs.

Family members and external professionals who were involved in people’s care were complementary of the services provided, some describing the care and support as excellent. The comments we received demonstrated that people felt valued and listened to. People were treated with kindness and respect whilst their independence was promoted within the service and in the wider community.

The service remained responsive to people’s individual needs. Staff knew people very well and paid particular attention to finding out about their interests and personal preferences. This enabled support to be focused to achieve people’s desired outcomes. Individual support plans were person-centred and they considered the diverse needs of each person, taking into account any protected characteristics. The service provided flexible support embracing people’s individual wishes.

People knew how to raise concerns or make a complaint and they felt confident they would be listened to if concerns were raised. The service was working to the accessible information standard. Up to date information was communicated to staff as required to ensure they could provide the most appropriate care and support for each individual. Staff knew how to contact healthcare professionals in a timely manner if there were concerns about a person’s wellbeing.

The service was well-led, with strong leadership from the registered manager. Records were relevant, complete and reviewed regularly to reflect current information. The registered manager promoted an open, empowering, person centred culture. The values of the service were embedded in the way staff worked with people. Feedback was sought and used to monitor the quality of the service. Audits were conducted and used to make improvements.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.