HF Trust - Corunna Close

Updated 4 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 08 February 2021 and was announced. The inspection was announced prior to us entering the home, so we could ensure that measures were in place to support an inspection and manage any infection control risks. We also asked the provider to send us infection prevention and control policies and audit findings.

Updated 4 March 2021

This inspection took place on 6 and 11 December 2017 and was unannounced. At our previous inspection on 23 November 2016 the service was rated as Good. At this inspection the service remained Good.

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

HF Trust – Corunna Close accommodates up to five people in one adapted building and a one bedroom self-contained ‘annex’ that is adjacent to the bungalow. The service is located on the outskirts of St Neots. There was one person receiving care at the time of our inspection.

This service is for people living with Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS). This is a condition where people have a chronic feeling of hunger that can lead to excessive eating and sometimes life threatening obesity.

The 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.

At the time of this inspection a registered manager was in post. 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.

People were given information in a format that they could understand about what keeping safe meant. Risks to people were identified and assessed. A robust process was in place to learn when things had not gone as planned and improvements had been made when incidents had occurred.

A sufficient number of safely recruited staff with the right skills were deployed in a way which maximised people’s independence. People’s medicines were managed and administered safely by staff whose competence had been assessed.

Systems were in place which helped ensure that any potential risk of infection was minimised. This was achieved through staff training, cleaning routines and adherence to food hygiene standards.

People were supported to attend their healthcare appointments by staff who were able to recognise if any external healthcare interventions were needed. People ate a balanced diet and they had the nutritional support they needed to maintain their health and wellbeing.

People’s preferences and needs were supported by staff who had been trained to have the right skills. This helped people achieve their potential. Adaptations were made to the home according to any person’s diverse needs.

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.

People’s privacy and dignity was upheld by staff who knew what compassionate care was and what this meant to each person. People were listened to by staff who supported them to make decisions about their care. Staff knew the people they cared for well and how to enable people to live a meaningful life.

People were supported to live as independently as possible by staff who gave people every possible opportunity to fulfil their ambitions and build upon their strengths.

People’s concerns, suggestions and compliments were used to identify where improvements might be needed as well as what worked well. Systems were in place to involve people in discussions about any advanced decisions or end of life wishes.

The registered manager was aware of their responsibilities to notify the CQC about any serious incidents as well as displaying their previous inspection rating conspicuously. They had also fostered an open and honest staff team culture.

Audits, governance and quality assurance systems were in place and these helped drive improvements. People were involved in determining how the service ran. The registered manager used a wide network of contacts to help ensure that best practise was recognised and if required, implemented.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.