Stoke House

Updated 18 March 2021

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 coronavirus pandemic we are looking at the preparedness of care homes in relation to infection prevention and control. This was a targeted inspection looking at the infection control and prevention measures the provider has in place.

This inspection took place on 4 March 2021 and was announced.

Updated 18 March 2021

About the service

Stoke House is a residential care home providing accommodation and personal care to five adults at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to six people. There were 15 staff employed by the provider.

Stoke House supports people living with a learning disability or autism. The service is owned and operated by a family. The building is adjacent to Bridge House, a care home for children with learning disabilities and registered with Ofsted. The same family own and operate the children’s care home. Children who reach adulthood at Bridge House are offered the opportunity to move next door to Stoke House. This provided good continuity in their care and support pathway.

The care home accommodates people across three floors, each of which has separate adapted facilities. There is a communal kitchen, sensory room, lounge room and dining room on the ground floor. Some bedrooms had ensuites, otherwise there were enough communal bathrooms for people to share. There was a large backyard at the rear of the care home.

The service has been developed and designed in line with the principles and values that underpin Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. This ensures that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes. The principles reflect the need for people with learning disabilities and/or autism to live meaningful lives that include control, choice, and independence. People using the service receive planned and co-ordinated person-centred support that is appropriate and inclusive for them.

There were deliberately no identifying signs, intercom, cameras, industrial bins or anything else outside to indicate it was a care home. Staff were also discouraged from wearing anything that suggested they were care staff when coming and going with people.

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

People were protected from abuse, neglect and discrimination. Risk assessments were carried out in a timely manner for people's personal care. The risk assessments were thorough and up-to-date and contained relevant information to ensure risks were mitigated as far as possible. Premises risks were assessed and managed, however a Legionella risk assessment and scheme of control was required. This was completed shortly after the site visit. We are satisfied people were not unduly placed at risk due to the missing risk assessment. There were enough staff deployed. The house was clean and tidy. Medicines were safely managed.

People's likes, preferences and dislikes were considered and used in their everyday care. Staff had a good knowledge of people's needs. People received enough food and drinks to prevent malnutrition and dehydration. People's care was joined up with local and community-based health and social care professionals. The service is compliant with the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (and associated provisions), including lawfully depriving people of their liberty. There had been recent refurbishment of the property and this was on a continuous basis. Staff had the necessary knowledge, skills and experience to support people who lived at Stoke House.

The service was caring and the staff kind and compassionate. People's rights were respected, and their dignity and privacy was maintained. Where possible, people's independence was maintained and promoted. People and parents or relatives were involved in their care planning and reviews. There was positive feedback on file about the care provided. We received numerous positive testimonials from health and social care professionals who worked with people at the care home.

Support plans were person-centred, detailed and contemporaneous. The daily notes were very good and contained information about people's behaviour and emotional status. The service ensured that information was provided in a way that people could understand it. This included the use of symbols, pictures and words, a 'choices' board and 'now, next, then' process. There was a satisfactory complaints mechanism. The outcomes book was a positive tool to celebrate the successes of care that people experienced with the support they received from staff.

There was a good underlying set of principles about the care provided to people of Stoke House. Staff were happy at the service and there was a positive workplace environment. There was an appropriate series of audits and other quality assurance processes to gauge, monitor and report on the quality and safety of care. Appropriate actions were taken when issues were identified. The registered manager and team leader were knowledgeable, skilled and experienced and able to lead the service well. There was good linked up working within the organisation and local community. The transition of people from children to adults' care was a very positive one. Management and team meetings were used to share lessons learned, knowledge and updates within the organisation.

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 service applied the principles and values of Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These ensure that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes that include control, choice and independence.

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 9 June 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

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.